


Daddy & Me

by dream_maker



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, zankie fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-05-15
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:55:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3489047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dream_maker/pseuds/dream_maker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach and Frankie have moved on with their lives and lost touch with each other. Five years after Big Brother, unbeknownst to each other, they both live in Florida. And they are both single dads. And as destiny would have it, they end up in the same Daddy & Me class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A new Zankie fanfic set five years in the future. This is purely fictional. I hope you enjoy!!

**_Zach_ **

 

Zach latched Gus into his car seat and tossed the backpack on the seat next to him.

 

“Hungry Daddy, hungry,” Gus whined.

 

“Okay baby, hang on.” Zach pulled a small container of Cheerios out of the backpack and handed it to him. Once Gus was placated, Zach climbed into the front seat and took a deep breath.  Weekends were exhausting.  He was looking forward to this Daddy & Me class where he could hang out with some other single dads and give Gus the chance to play with someone other than him.

 

The past five years had been a crazy ride that Zach never would’ve expected. After Big Brother ended, he had an insane year dealing with the novelty of reality star fame as well at the confusing shomance/bromance/romance with Frankie Grande, also known as Zankie. Zach had never experienced anything like it. He was straight. But he had an undeniable attraction to Frankie. A fan gave him a t-shirt that said “Frankiesexual” and that pretty much summed it up. He and Frankie did try to make it work. Their relationship became more than platonic shortly after the show ended, although they did their best (sometimes more successfully than others) to keep it private. It was very drama and angst-filled. When they were together, their physical chemistry was intense and their passion was unlike anything Zach had ever experienced before or since. But the other issues - geography, Zach’s confusion about his sexuality, their different stages of life, personality conflicts and so on – eventually led to them deciding to go their separate ways and “just be friends.” Over the following year, however, even their friendship faded. He hadn’t talked to or communicated with Frankie at all in almost three years.

 

Zach stayed in Florida and eventually landed a great job hosting a local radio show. It was a very popular show that aired daily from 8-11 am.  The success of the show led to syndication and they were currently heard in radio markets throughout the southeast, with hopes of expanding throughout the country. Zach had honed his ZachAttack persona. He was outrageous, fearless and hilarious without being offensive or off putting. They talked about everything from local sports to current events to personal stories and more. Think Howard Stern for the new generation. He had a great team of characters on the show with him and they quickly developed a loyal audience. Zach often did appearances throughout South Florida and was a bit of a local celebrity.

 

Zach met Rachel at temple of all places. He was helping his mom out by picking up Peyton every Thursday from Hebrew school; Rachel was one of the assistant teachers. She was a beautiful girl, Jewish, well educated and from a good family. She had no idea who Zach was, having never seen Big Brother. He found that incredibly refreshing. After a month or so, Zach finally got the nerve to ask her out. Things progressed quickly. Zach’s family loved her. She was from Arizona and had no family in Florida, so she quickly connected with his mom. Zach was feeling great. He had a career that he loved and a pretty girl by his side.

 

They were engaged within six months and married less than a year later in a festive Jewish wedding. To their shock, Rachel got pregnant on their Hawaiian honeymoon. It wasn’t planned and Rachel was not happy. She went from being easygoing and loving to constantly stressed out and angry. Zach tried his best to be supportive, but she seemed to blame him for the pregnancy even though it wasn’t his fault that the condom failed. He had been urging her for months to go on the pill, but she had never gotten around to it. Zach was pretty nervous himself about being a dad but he knew that he could handle it. After all, he had practically helped raise Peyton.

 

Zach was certain after Gus was born, Rachel would come around. But the opposite happened. She seemed completely disinterested in their newborn. She refused to breastfeed so Zach ended up being the one who got up most nights to feed him or change his diaper. Within a few months after his birth, Rachel was going out three or four nights a week with her friends, most of who were still single and childless. She would come home drunk and fall into bed, sleeping late into the morning, still passed out when Zach left for work. He dropped Gus off each day at the nanny’s home.  Somehow Rachel still managed to get to her job at the temple which didn’t start till early afternoon, but that was about all she seemed to be able to handle.

 

Zach tried everything. He suggested counseling for her or for both of them, but Rachel refused. He tried talking to Rachel’s parents but they were far away and not terribly helpful. His mom was supportive of him, but she couldn’t get through to Rachel either.

 

It all came to a head on a Saturday afternoon when he and Rachel got into a huge fight. They were yelling and screaming at each other, waking Gus up from his afternoon nap. Rachel even threw a crystal vase at Zach’s head, which he thankfully managed to duck and avoid as it shattered on the wall behind him.

 

He screamed at her, “HOLY SHIT RACHEL! What is WRONG with you? Are you trying to kill me?! I’m taking Gus to the park. You need to clean up this mess and get it together by the time we get back. He’s your SON. Grow up!! This is ridiculous.”

 

Zach put the baby in the car and drove around till Gus fell back asleep. He pulled into the parking lot at the park but stayed in the car, staring out the windshield at all of the parents and children playing and laughing on swings and the slide. He tried to sort it all out in his mind as Gus napped peacefully. After a phone conversation with his mom, he somberly drove home, feeling calmer and determined to work things out with his wife.

 

Rachel’s car was gone when he got home. Zach sighed, assuming she had gone to meet up with her friends again. But when he walked into their bedroom, he saw the closet door was open and all of her clothes were missing. Same with the dresser and the bathroom – most of her belongings were gone.

 

In a panic, he ran back to the kitchen and found a note: “Zach – I can’t do it. I’m sorry. You and Gus will be better off without me. Love, R.”

 

That had been almost three years ago. Thanks to the support of his family and friends, Zach had gotten through that nightmare period. His mother, bless her heart, had taken time off of work and moved into the house with him for a month as he adjusted to life as a single dad. Her support and love was invaluable. But soon enough he was able to manage on his own. He made a good salary at his radio job and was able to afford an in-home nanny as well as a housekeeper who came twice a week. He never heard from Rachel after that day but her parents did eventually contact him. They worked with Zach to finalize their divorce and she gave up all parental rights, making Zach truly a single parent.

 

He hadn’t had any time or desire to date. His life was full and he was happy. He believed that you got out of life what you put into it. Gus was a smart happy boy who loved his Daddy. He had grandparents and great-grandparents who doted on him and the coolest uncle ever. Zach had a job that he absolutely loved. He felt his life was complete.

 

One day he was reading the local paper and saw an ad for a “Daddy & Me” class, geared toward single dads with children under age 5 looking for friendship and fun.  Zach thought “why not” and signed up.  Many of his childhood and college buddies weren’t married yet, or if they were, they didn't have children. He had so little in common with them that he hardly saw them anymore. It would be nice to meet other dads who shared both the challenges and joys of being a single dad. The class met every Sunday for two hours.  So off they went.

 

**_Frankie_ **

 

“Nonna, have you seen pinky binky?” Frankie called out.  He continued searching Rose's room then finally found it shoved underneath the bookcase behind a stuffed giraffe.  There were plenty of binkies to be had, but Rose only wanted the aptly named pinky binky.

 

“Never mind, found it!”

 

Frankie was running late as usual and was frantically trying to get everything together for the Daddy & Me class. He and Rose had moved to Florida just over six months ago, buying a house and moving Nonna in with them. Nonna was still very independent, but she no longer needed her large house, and it was good for both her and Frankie to have each other. Frankie hadn’t really had time to socialize. He thought meeting other single dads would be a good way to make some friends.

 

The year after Frankie’s stint on Big Brother was crazy. He suddenly became a celebrity in his own right rather than just Ariana Grande’s big brother. While his star power was nowhere near hers, he still forged out a very successful career. Between several stints on Broadway, hosting gigs, a touring version of his Living La Vida Grande show, and other entertainment appearances, Frankie lived a very public and privileged life. Which was exactly as he planned.

 

He fell in love on Big Brother. There was no question about it. He and Zach had a unique and beautiful relationship that was endlessly dramatic and frustrating. Even though he had promised himself he would never fall for a straight man again, he did. And the love was mutual. But they had so many issues. The biggest issue was that Zach still identified as straight. He loved Frankie and even he couldn’t deny that their sex life was amazing. But he was still straight. He was also very young. At 24, he hadn’t even been out of college for a year. Frankie on the other hand was driven and ambitious. He was 32 and ready to get on with his life, to date seriously and to pursue his career with vigor. Ultimately they couldn’t work it out. It broke Frankie’s heart but he knew it was for the best. And although they’d promised to stay friends, Frankie knew they were better off being in each other’s rear view mirrors. So eventually the texts and the Snapchats stopped. The fans hung on for awhile but they too finally accepted that Zankie was not to be.  Big Brother inexplicably had never had a 2nd All Star season, and neither of them were ever asked to be back on the show.

 

Frankie dated. A lot. Finding men had never been a problem for him. After he and Zach ended things for good, Frankie went on a bit of a one-night stand binge. He was just looking for fun and nothing serious. But eventually he was ready to settle down. He was almost in his mid 30s and still dreamt of being married with children. He tried. He fell in love a couple times. But as always he was drawn toward starving artists who were passionate about life but not able or willing to settle into a committed long-term relationship.

 

Frankie finally soured on love and just gave up the idea of getting married or even finding a long-term partner. He was talking to Ari one day about it and said his only regret was that he wouldn’t be able to have children.

 

“Well, just adopt a baby on your own,” she suggested.

 

He looked at her like she had grown a second head. “Are you nuts? How am I going to raise a baby on my own?”

 

“Oh Frankie, please. You can do anything you put your mind to and you know it. You would be a fabulous dad. There are so many children around the world who need families. Any child would be lucky to have you as a dad. And between me, Mommy and Nonna, that baby would have three moms too!”

 

Of course Ari, who adopted a new puppy seemingly every other month, would come up with the idea of adopting a needy human. It was brilliant and heart warming. And one of the reasons he adored his baby sister.

 

Once she put the idea in his head, Frankie couldn’t stop thinking about it. Because of his connection with BuildOn, he immediately thought of children in Africa. He had heard about orphanages where there were many children in need of families. The bureaucracy was a nightmare but he was diligent and within a year he had adopted Rose, an 8 month old baby girl who had been dropped off on the doorsteps of an orphanage in South Africa at just three weeks old.

 

Because she was still young, it was effortless for Frankie and the Grande women to bond with her immediately. She was a beautiful baby with big dark eyes that stared right into Frankie’s soul. He was living in the house in Los Angeles with Ari. Joan moved in with them as well and between the three of them (with frequent visits from Nonna), they adjusted to life with a baby.  Rose was loved and adored, and Frankie had never been so content. Even the lack of sleep and the overwhelming responsibility of being a single dad could not dim his enthusiasm or love for this amazing child.

 

As a single dad, Frankie was no longer willing to consider gigs on Broadway or even television opportunities that required many hours away. He was financially very well off and really did not need to work. But he also missed having a purpose in his life other than being a dad. One afternoon when Rose was about 2 years old, Frankie turned some music on and started dancing around the living room. Rose giggled with glee at her daddy and got up and joined him. He had been thrilled to realize that, despite having no actual Grande blood, Rose had both rhythm and what appeared to be a lovely singing voice. As she was dancing next to him, trying to imitate Frankie’s moves, an idea began to germinate in his mind. In the early days of his career, and on and off as he became more successful, Frankie taught dance. He loved to dance and nothing gave him greater pleasure than passing that love and passion on to eager children of all ages.

 

After long talks with the Grande women, the pieces began to fall into place. Frankie decided he would move to Florida, feeling that Rose would benefit from growing up in Boca like he did.  He bought an empty building and transformed it into the Frankie Grande Dance Academy.  With his pedigree of Big Brother, Broadway, Livin’ La Vida Grande, and various television appearances, Frankie was well known. His classes quickly filled up. He hired other instructors as well as an assistant Becky who handled all of the administrative tasks.  Nonna even helped out, often coming with him to work and sitting in the reception area, answering phones and greeting students as they arrived.

 

Rose loved to come to the studio with him. The students adored her and she willingly sat quietly and played as he taught classes, occasionally standing next to him and “helping” him teach. He had a portable crib in his office for her naps and Nonna was usually there to watch over her when Frankie was busy.  They also had a nanny/housekeeper who watched Rose on the days that she stayed at home. All in all, their life had fallen into a happy pattern. Frankie loved being back in the dance studio and got so much joy from all of his students.

 

He still had many very close friends, some of whom still lived in New York like Lauren, Dom, JonErik and Paul.  They visited often, but Frankie didn’t feel like he had much of a social life in Florida.  He certainly had no time or desire at this point to go to clubs or date. He felt his life was completely fine without that right now. The idea of meeting other singles dads at a Daddy & Me class, though, was appealing. Despite being a rather flamboyant gay man, Frankie never had a problem “bro’ing” out with straight men. He had been in a fraternity in college and had many straight male friends. He assumed most if not all of the dads in this class would be straight and that was just fine with him. Preferable actually.

 

He took Rose’s hand and hurried her to the front door, yelling goodbye to Nonna.  He was tempted to pick Rose up and carry her to the car, but she was extremely independent and always wanted to walk on her own. So he took a deep breath and admonished himself to be patient.  They would be 5 or 10 minutes late but who cares? It would be fine. He finally got her strapped into the car and off they went.

 

Thankfully the traffic had been light. They pulled into the parking lot at 11:08. The class was scheduled to start at 11:00, so Frankie and Rose dashed to the building and threw the door open.  The dads and their toddlers were all seated in a circle but it didn’t appear that the class had formerly started. The dads were talking quietly to their kids or chatting with those nearby.  The instructor, a young woman who looked to be about 21 or 22 years old, was glancing at her clipboard and appeared ready to begin the class. Never one to be shy, Frankie held Rose’s hand tightly as they ran toward the group. He called out in his sing-songy voice “Hi everyone, sorry we’re late!!! But we’re here.”

 

Zach, who was sitting with his back toward the door, froze. He knew that voice. But no that was impossible. There was no way. Was there? Slowly he turned around and couldn’t believe what he saw. Unmistakable, still sporting a pink tipped Mohawk, there was Frankie Grande and a beautiful little black girl. 

 

“My name is Frankie and this is Ro…” Frankie stopped as his eyes met Zach’s. He felt he must be dreaming or having an out of body experience.  This was crazy.

 

“Zach?!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach and Frankie get over their shock at seeing each other and catch up, both determined to salvage their friendship.

Zach coughed a little, trying to find his voice, then answered weakly, “Hey Frankie.”

Frankie was speechless as they both stared at each other, completely shocked. Everyone was looking at them as the greeting stretched into an uncomfortable silence.

The instructor, Chloe, broke the quiet, “Well, how do you two know each other? It seems like you’re surprised to run into one another so maybe it’s been awhile?”

Before either of them could answer, one of the dads, David, who was sitting next to Zach, suddenly exclaimed, “Wait! I know who you are! Zach I _knew_ you looked familiar! You were on that reality TV show Big Brother. And you, you’re Frankie Grande, Ariana Grande’s brother, right? You were on the same season! I remember that you guys were good friends, the season’s bromance!”

Zach laughed, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Yeah, you got it David! Frankie and I met on reality TV and we were best friends.”

Turning to Frankie, he added, “It’s good to see you. Apparently we have a lot to catch up on,” he added looking pointedly at Rose and smiling.

“Indeed,” Frankie responded, raising his eyebrow as he looked at Gus.

Since they were all sitting “criss cross applesauce” on a large gym mat with their children in front of them, David scooted over, motioning for Frankie to take the seat next to Zach.  Frankie hesitatingly walked over with Rose, and as they sat down, he turned to Zach and gave him a quick hug.

Even though it was over before it started, Zach couldn’t help but notice the jolt that shot through him as Frankie’s arms wrapped around his neck. Still. Five years later. Frankie J. Grande had an effect on him unlike anyone else.

“What’s wong Daddy? Your face is weally wed!” Gus said loudly, causing everyone to laugh.

“Nothing, buddy. I’m fine,” Zach smiled, “I’m just a little surprised is all.”

Frankie smiled knowingly at Zach and gave him a quick wink. He knew exactly why Zach’s face was red. He felt it too. Damnit. What was it about this boy? 

Zach turned to Chloe and nodded, indicating she should start the class. Then he leaned toward Frankie and whispered with a smile on his face, “Rose? You actually named your daughter Rose?”

Frankie just smiled and shrugged.

The first part of the class consisted of a lot of fun physical activities like stretching, doing the hokey pokey, playing with a big parachute, and playing circle games like duck duck goose. After getting the kids all tuckered out, Chloe handed out big pieces of construction paper and some crayons and told the children to draw pictures of themselves with their daddies.  As the kids drew, Chloe had the dads introduce themselves and their kids.

 With typically short attention spans, the kids finished their drawings in just a few minutes.  Chloe sent all the children to the other side of the room with two other instructors to do some activities on the various apparatuses throughout the gym. A few of the kids cried or clung to their daddies but within a few minutes, curiosity got the better of them and they all joined the group.

Chloe spoke to the dads, “This is the first time that our gym has offered a Daddy & Me class specifically for single dads. We got some feedback that this would be a unique and popular idea and were thrilled with the great response. I wanted to go around the circle and give you all a chance to _briefly_ tell everyone about yourself, what led to you being a single dad, and what your greatest joy and greatest challenge is. I emphasize briefly because there are 12 of you and we would like to get through this somewhat quickly! But I also hope that you can develop some friendships here that last beyond our ten sessions.”

The men’s stories formed a tapestry of what single parenthood can encompass.  Most men were divorced. Some had 50-50 custody, others had every other weekend with one night during the week. One gentleman was a widower, losing his wife to breast cancer just a year after their daughter was born. Another was in a fierce custody battle with his ex-wife who was a drug addict, seemingly unable to kick her addiction. In terms of their joys and challenges, most agreed that the joy of being a dad was indescribable but the challenge of having a life outside of fatherhood and work was nearly impossible.

Zach told his story as objectively as he could. He explained the unplanned pregnancy and acknowledged that he and his wife had never really talked about kids, and he had no idea that she was so unprepared for the responsibility. He said that it had been a very difficult time but that he and Gus had figured it out and that they lived a very happy and full life. He talked about his work and several of the guys had heard about or even listened to the radio show. Frankie looked on, both surprised and impressed at how mature and together Zach was. What happened to his mess of a lunatic?

When it was his turn, Frankie started off by saying, “Well I’m sure this will shock some of you but I am actually a gay man!”

Everyone laughed then Frankie continued. In his typically entertaining way he described his failed attempts at finding a life partner and his decision to adopt internationally after his sister’s suggestion. He talked about why he had relocated to Florida from LA and how he had opened a dance academy which was turning out to be very successful and fulfilling for him. He described his Nonna, mentioned how she was living with him and what a joy it was to have her in his and Rose’s life.  Not surprisingly, Zach was completely mesmerized by Frankie’s storytelling. Frankie stole a glance at him at one point and smiled internally when he saw the heart eyes that had stolen _his_ heart in the summer of 2014.

For the remaining 45 minutes of class, the dads and their children had free reign of the gym.  There were climbing structures, big plastic blocks, slides, tunnels, and all sorts of other fun things to do.  Gus grabbed Zach’s hand and dragged him to the big tunnel made from brightly colored plastic and mesh tubes.  Behind them, Zach heard Rose saying, “C’mon Papa I want to go in da tunnel toooooo!!!” Rose ran up and took Gus’ other hand as they ran ahead. Zach just shook his head. Of course their kids would take an immediate liking to one another.

Frankie caught up to Zach, saying “Well I guess Gus and Rose are already best friends.” Zach laughed and shrugged in response.

“Hey Zach,” Frankie continued, “Your story is something else. That must have been quite an ordeal to suddenly be a single dad with no warning.  I just want to say how impressed I am that you are managing a successful career and single parenthood so well! I’m not surprised mind you. Just impressed.”

“Thanks Frankie. Yeah, it wasn’t easy. But you know, sometimes you just have to deal with what life hands you. And let’s be real, I wouldn’t change a thing because Gus is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me. And we have an amazing life.”

Frankie smiled and paused for a minute, then asked, “Hey Zach… how about if you and Gus come over to our house after class for a late lunch? Nonna is there and she would love to see you.”

Zach paused, unsure how to respond. He was tempted absolutely. But it was Frankie. Somehow whenever Zach and Frankie had been together in the past, they would experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. “Ummm…I don’t know,” Zach said, with doubt in his eyes.

“Zach, look. I get it. You’re straight! I mean, c’mon you married a woman and had a baby. I’m not looking to start any drama. _At the end of the day_ as BeastMode would say, you and I always had a great friendship. I miss that. I could use a buddy in Florida. And it sounds like you could too. What do you say??”

Zach smiled. “Okay, sure. That would be fun.”

As their kids emerged from the tunnel, Frankie called out, “Hey Rose. What do you think about Gus and his daddy coming to our house for lunch today?”

“Yay yay yay!” Rose said as she turned to Gus and grabbed his hands, encouraging him to jump up and down, cheering with her.

Zach could see that Rose had the same infectious energy and passion as her daddy and he knew Gus would probably follow her to the ends of the earth at that point, he was so clearly enamored. 

They got into their separate cars after Frankie gave Zach the address, which he put into his GPS just in case he lost Frankie. But he was able to follow him the whole way there with no trouble. They got out of their cars, and Rose grabbed Gus’ hand running to the front door. As they entered the home, she yelled out “Nonna come ‘ere! I have a new friend. His name is Gus and his Daddy is Papa’s old friend!”

Nonna walked from the kitchen into the front hallway, knelt down to give Rose a kiss, then warmly shook Gus’ hand and said it was nice to meet him. As she stood up she looked toward Frankie and Zach and her eyes shot wide open.

“Zach?! Oh my goodness Zach!! She ran over and pulled him into a big hug as Frankie looked on. Zach smiled into her neck, warmly returning the hug.

“Hi Nonna. It’s so great to see you!! You look fantastic!”

“Zach! I can’t believe it! Zach?” She pulled back, placing her hands on his cheeks as she looked at him, not believing what she was seeing. She was completely stunned. She had adored Zach from the moment she saw him on Big Brother. And she had a soft spot in her heart for him, because before Frank passed away that summer, he had gotten such a kick out of watching Zach and Frankie on the live feeds. Zach was outrageous and unpredictable and Frank loved their friendship.  She knew Zach and Frankie’s relationship had been very complicated and messy, but she was so sad when they lost touch.  And yet here he was. With a son! Coming from a single dads’ Daddy & Me class. Clearly they had a lot to catch up on.

Frankie laughed, “Hi Nonna! Surprise!”

They all went in the kitchen where Frankie pulled together a lunch consisting of tuna fish sandwiches, mac ‘n cheese for the kids, fruit and pita chips.  Zach quickly caught Nonna up on all the details of his life from the past five years. Gus and Rose finished their lunch quickly and went to play with Rose’s toys in the family room.  After hearing Zach’s story and marveling at how he handled such a challenging situation, Nonna stood up and announced she was tired and was going to rest for a bit. She _was_ tired, but truthfully she felt like she should give Zach and Frankie a chance to catch up on their own.

Zach helped Frankie clear the table then sat on a stool at the counter as Frankie finished cleaning the dishes.

Zach had just cracked open his third beer and was working up some liquid courage when he  blurted out, “Why’d you stop replying to my texts and Snaps?”

Frankie’s head snapped up from the dishwashing he was doing. He was surprised at the directness of the question but decided to respond in kind. “I don’t know Zach. Remember what it was like then? There was always so much drama. It was never easy. And let’s face it; you confused me. You said you were straight but your actions said otherwise.”

Zach frowned in response. Ignoring the straight-not straight implication, he whined, “But Frankie. You were my best friend. I told you in the Big Brother house that I would love you no matter what. I hated not having you in my life anymore. I… I never would’ve let it go that far if I knew it would mean losing your friendship for good.”

“So you regret having sex with me?” Frankie asked point blank.

“Yes… well, no, I mean … I don’t know, Frankie, he replied, starting to blush. “What I regret is that I hurt my best friend so much that he chose to cut me out of his life."

Frankie paused. “Look Zach. Clearly I read the situation wrong. The truth is I fell in love with you.”

 When Zach shook his head, Frankie insisted, “Yes I did. I really did Zach. But I knew the dangers of falling for a straight man and I broke all my own rules. So I blame myself too. I mean you fell in love with and married a woman. And you produced a child so clearly you had sex with her too! I get it. You’re straight. I’m sorry I ever doubted it. I miss you too. So here’s to starting over?” Frankie raised his glass of wine. Zach smiled and clinked the glass with his beer bottle.”

At that moment, Rose shrieked out, “GIVE ME OLAF!!”

Gus responded just as loudly, “NO! You hafta shawe!!! And you haf Elsa!”

Frankie and Zach ran in to diffuse the situation. Frankie got down to Rose's level and said sternly, “Gus is your friend and you know you have to share your toys. He’s not going to take Olaf away from you. He’s just playing with him.”

Rose insisted, “But I want Olaf.”

Frankie said, “Rose, do I need to take your toys away? Do you need a time out?”

Rose’s lip began to quiver and she dropped Elsa, throwing herself into Frankie’s arms. Clearly she was tired and a bit over stimulated.

“Hey I have an idea, guys! How about if we watch Frozen 2?!”

Rose looked up at Frankie then turned to Gus. Both of their faces lit up as they started jumping up and down, “YES YES YES!!”

They climbed up onto the sofa as Frankie started the movie on the large flat screen TV.

Zach settled on a large comfortable chair, stretching his feet onto the ottoman; Frankie curled up on another smaller sofa. As always, Frankie was totally engrossed in the movie. About 20 minutes in, he looked around and saw that he was the only one still awake.  He smiled and shook his head.

It was really pretty astounding what he saw. His daughter, laying like a small spoon right in front of Zach’s son, both sound asleep. Zach RANCE’S son was his daughter’s new bff. In what world was he living?

And then he stole a look at Zach.  More than a look. He took advantage of Zach being a sound sleeper to just stare at him.  Still the same indescribably beautiful man with the unruly head of hair. Frankie had to restrain himself from walking over and running his hands through that mane, remembering just how soft it was and how good it smelled. Who was he fooling? He never stopped loving Zach Rance and probably never would.

But he missed him too. And Zach was straight, that was clear. So Frankie decided at that moment that he would do his damndest to put those feelings aside and really work on re-establishing their friendship. He could do it, he was sure of it. He was Frankie Grande and Frankie Grande could do whatever he put his mind to. Besides he had no time for romance or even a sex life at this point anyway. When a good night's sleep sounded way more desirable than a good lay, he knew he must really be a dad.

By the time the movie was ending, Zach had woken up. The kids were still sound asleep. Zach smiled at how they were laying, then looked over at Frankie and just shook his head. No words were necessary. Finally he told Frankie he’d better take Gus home. 

Frankie called out to Nonna to let her know they were leaving. She came downstairs and gave Zach a big hug.  “Come back again soon okay?”

“You bet Nonna. You couldn’t keep me away, especially now that I know you live here too!” he answered, always the charmer.

Frankie walked Zach out to the car as Zach buckled a still sleeping Gus into his car seat.  He stood up straight and smiled at Frankie. “Hey, maybe we can go to lunch one day this week, what do you think? Your dance studio is only about 15 minutes from the radio station.”

Frankie smiled, “I would love that! I don’t have any classes between 11 and 2 on Wednesday. How does that sound?” 

“Perfect,” Zach answered, “I’ll text you so we can work out the details. Same number?”

 “Same number,” Frankie replied, “Yours too?”

 “Yup. Hey Frankie… thanks so much for having us over today. It’s… I…well, I’m just glad to see you and to have you back in my life. I hope that doesn’t sound too corny.”

“Not at all Zach. I feel the same way. Come here and give me a hug.”

Zach wrapped his arms tightly around Frankie’s waist as Frankie wrapped himself around Zach’s neck.  They held on for perhaps a moment or two longer than most bros would. Frankie started to turn his face toward Zach’s neck but caught himself before kissing him. Zach felt the motion and knew exactly what Frankie was about to do. And was a bit disappointed when it didn’t happen.

They pulled apart and grinned at each other. “See you Wednesday,” Zach said as he climbed in the car.

Frankie stood on the curb and watched as the car drove down the street. The look on his face was serene and thoughtful. As Nonna watched him from the doorway, all she could think was, “Oh dear. Here we go again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming next - Zach and Frankie's lunch date, followed by a guys' night out that ends up being more than what they both bargained for.
> 
> I hope you're still enjoying the story! Let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendly lunch followed by a drunken guys' night out...

**_Lunch_ **

 

Zach arrived at the restaurant about 15 minutes earlier than their scheduled lunch. He wanted to make sure they got a good booth that was private where they’d be able to talk, hopefully uninterrupted. The restaurant, Mac’s, was a bit of a dive diner near the radio station. Zach had lunch there at least twice a week and knew all the employees from the hostess to the wait staff to the busboys to the owner. With red leather booths and ordinary laminate tables, what Mac’s lacked in fancy décor it made up for with fantastic food.  Everything was top rate, from their burgers to the salads to the sandwiches. It was a popular place and the walls were covered with autographed photos of celebrities, athletes and politicians who had dined at this renowned establishment.

 

Mac was a 60-something African American man who dropped out of school in the 8th grade and apprenticed with his grandpa who was a cook at a local inn. Mac was born to be a chef. He concocted new recipes all the time and was frequently out in the dining room walking around with a platter of samples to get feedback on his latest appetizer or dessert. The restaurant had a homey feel and Zach loved having it nearby.  He often brought Gus there for Sunday breakfast, when Mac would make Gus animal-shaped pancakes and crispy bacon while Zach enjoyed an omelet and a bagel with cream cheese and a tomato slice.

 

Frankie arrived right on time and Zach waved him over to the booth. He stood out in the crowd, mostly made up of construction workers and local business professionals. Frankie definitely looked the dance teacher part, dressed in a purple tank top with short black shorts and bright orange sneakers.  He bounced on over to the booth, all the eyeballs in the restaurant following him.  He pulled Zach into a big hug, then took the seat across from him.

 

“I love this place already Zach. I’ve heard of it but I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never been here.

 

Zach told him about Mac and how this was almost a home away from home for him. Frankie was delighted and within moments had their waitress Allison completely charmed. She asked what she could get them to drink and they both decided a mid-day beer was in order.

 

After she left, Frankie continued, “Well it’s nice to be able to visit with you without having to worry about what our three-year olds are up to.”

 

Zach nodded in agreement. “I’ll tell you dude, I love being a dad. But it honestly feels like a 24-7 job. Even when I’m not with Gus I’m always thinking about what he’s doing, what I’ll do with him when we get home, what’s for dinner, does he have clean clothes, and so on and so forth. It’s exhausting.”

 

Frankie, trying not to be bothered by Zach calling him _dude_ , nodded vigorously, saying that he could totally relate.

 

After they placed their food order, Frankie said, “So… I tuned into your radio show on Monday morning.”

 

Zach’s eyes shot up from his beer. “You did? Um, what time did you tune in?

 

Frankie smirked, “Oh I made sure I was up, showered and dressed so I could listen to the whole show. I wanted to see if you talked about the Daddy & Me class and about running into me.”

 

Zach buried his face in his hands. Then looked up between his fingers. “Did I do okay? I didn’t say anything offensive did I?

 

“Well,” Frankie smiled, “it was a little bit _no homo_ but not too bad…”

 

Zach cringed trying to remember the details of Monday’s show. He opened up with his crew as usual telling stories of his weekend. He talked about Gus, a common topic, and how he basically had no social life between work and being a full time single dad. He described how he used to always try to meet women at the park or the mall or even at the grocery store. But that somehow whenever he was ready to make his move, Gus would say or do something inappropriate and fuck the whole thing up.

 

The truth was that had happened exactly one time at the grocery store.  Zach told the story of how he was talking to a brunette smoke bomb in the cereal aisle when suddenly Gus was urgently pulling on his arm to get his attention.

 

“Daddy, daddy I havta poop!!!”

 

Zach was trying to stall him but suddenly the air filled with a noxious stench and Gus giggled, “I fawted Daddy!” 

 

Talk about a mood killer. Zach rushed Gus to the bathroom and by the time they emerged, the brunette smoke bomb was nowhere to be found.

 

“After that, he dryly concluded, “I pretty much gave up on the idea of ever getting laid again.”

 

Zach then described the Daddy & Me class and how it was specifically geared toward single dads. He said that he figured it would be a good way to meet some other guys who dealt with the same issues he did.  He described a bunch of the dads, what their situations were, and so on. He made sure to also note that the 20-something blonde instructor was hot as hell. 

 

Then, he continued with the big story, “So I actually had the surprise of my life. You all know that I was on Big Brother back in 2014. And you probably remember that I was pretty good friends with Frankie Grande, Ariana’s brother? Well, we haven’t talked to or seen each other in years. You know how it is; we just sort of got involved in our individual lives and lost touch. So Gus and I are chatting with some of the other class members when I heard the door behind me open and this unbelievably familiar loud voice cried out ‘We’re here.’ I couldn’t believe it but there he was, Frankie Grande, pink-tipped Mohawk and all, holding hands with his adopted daughter, Rose. Talk about a small f’ing world! Anyway, it was really nice to see him again. It’s great that we’re taking this class together and will have a chance to catch up.”

 

Then he quickly changed the topic, asking his newsgirl Emily about her weekend. Zach didn’t mention anything about going to Frankie’s house, seeing Nonna, or their planned lunch date.  Nor did he indicate how his body reacted as if jolted by electricity when Frankie hugged him or how he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Frankie ever since he drove away from his house.

 

A bit later in the show, Emily caught him off guard, asking, “Hey didn’t you and Frankie Grande have a famous showmance or something? Weren’t there a bunch of fans who wanted you to like fall in love?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Zach snorted. “Zankie. The whole thing was kinda crazy. Frankie is a great guy and we had a unique experience together, but you know – I’m straight, so yeah, that kind of took care of that!”

 

Zach looked up at Frankie, “I hope my description of our um, reunion didn’t offend you or anything. I just didn’t want to open up a can of worms or raise any eyebrows by talking about having lunch at your house and everything.”

 

Frankie just laughed, “It’s fine Zach.  Believe me, I understand the desire for privacy. Other than being a bit disturbed that you’re lusting for Chloe who’s all of 22, I thought you described it perfectly!”

 

Frankie decided to change the subject, “So what do you do to have fun?”

 

Zach let out a guffaw and almost spit a mouthful of beer at Frankie before coughing it down. “Fun? Well, fun is when I can get Gus to bed in time to watch an old movie like _Mean Girls_ or maybe read a book. Fun is when I drop Gus off at my parents and go out for a quick meal with Peyton. I can’t remember the last time I went out and really let loose with friends. It just doesn’t seem like a priority anymore, you know? How about you?”

 

“Same,” Frankie agreed. “Plus since I’m sort of new to Florida I don’t have that many friends nearby. I haven’t really had the desire or energy to date, but it would be nice to just have some adult nights with friends, you know?”

 

Zach agreed, then an idea dawned on him. “Hey, some of the other dads in our class seemed like pretty nice guys. Maybe we could ask a few of them if they wanted to go to a club or a bar or something one Saturday night. If we all plan enough ahead of time, hopefully it gives us time to work out babysitting and all that.”

 

Frankie thought that was a great idea, laughing at the idea of planning a night out with Zach and having _babysitting_ be the primary concern! My how things had changed. He had been thinking he would love a fun night out with Zach but didn’t want to push it, lest Zach think maybe he was asking him on a date or something. Including some of the other dads was a perfect idea.

 

They talked about what they could do and decided to check out a new club, Beats, that was apparently very popular and fun, open to everyone, but catered to a crowd of adults, both straight and gay, mostly in their late 20s and 30s.  The music was supposed to be great and the atmosphere fun without being overly “clubbish.”

 

Chloe had sent an email to all of the dads, which included a roster of names, cell phone numbers and email addresses.  Zach pulled the email up on his phone and he and Frankie found the three dads that they really wanted to invite:

 

David - the guy sitting next to Zach who had 50-50 custody with his ex-wife and an amicable divorce. He was very friendly and had a wicked sense of humor.

 

Paul - the man who had lost his wife to breast cancer. Considering all he had been through, he was incredibly upbeat and positive, very friendly.

 

Steven – a portly former UF football player who was obviously a huge Gators fan and a sports nut just like Zach.

 

They quickly sent them a group text from Zach’s phone, proposing their idea and saying how they thought it would be a blast. Eager to make this happen as soon as possible, they asked if everyone would be able to work out babysitting by that Saturday night.

 

Zach quickly sent a text to his mom asking if they could babysit Gus that night, and Frankie did the same with Nonna.  Both received enthusiastic replies almost immediately.

 

“Gee do you think our loved ones think we need to get out more often or something?” Frankie joked dryly.

 

Their food had arrived and as Zach wolfed down his burger, he almost choked a couple times laughing at Frankie’s stories about Ariana, his mom, his friends, and various adventures he’d had. Zach told Frankie in the Big Brother house that he could literally follow him around forever; experiencing once again the energy force that is Frankie Grande, Zach remembered exactly why.

 

As for Frankie, he was reminded of the unpredictability and spontaneity of Zach Attack when he called their 60-something year old waitress over loudly.

 

“Allison, you sexy mama, get that cute little ass over here!!!”

 

Frankie cringed, but Allison sashayed her way to the table, shaking her ample hips and pushing her cleavage up out of the top of her waitress uniform. She plopped right down on Zach’s lap.

 

“When are you gonna make me an honest man and marry me, you hot thang?” he asked as he nuzzled his face into her neck.

 

Allison wrapped her arms around Zach’s neck and gave him a big kiss right on his cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark which Zach did not wipe away. “Oh honey, you could never handle all this!”

 

“Well if I can’t have you, just bring me and Frankie a hot fudge sundae with two spoons so I can drown my sorrows and get fat.”

 

She pinched his waist, laughing heartily and climbed off his lap to get the sundae.  Frankie just shook his head and rolled his eyes with an affectionate smile on his face.

 

By the time they finished their meal, they had heard back from all three men.  David and Paul had already confirmed babysitters and Steven was just waiting for a call back from his mother but he was pretty sure it would be fine. They agreed to meet at Zach’s house at 8:00 on Saturday night and go from there.

 

Zach walked Frankie to his car and gave him a big hug.

 

“Great to catch up again. I can’t wait till Saturday night – see you then!” 

 

Frankie climbed into his car, feeling like a teenage girl who had just been asked on a date with the cutest boy in school. Which was absolutely ridiculous. “Pull yourself together, DUDE,” Frankie thought to himself.

 

**_Beats_ **

 

Zach dropped Gus off at his parents’ house around 6:00 pm. Gus eagerly ran inside, excited to spend the night with his grandparents and Uncle Peyton. Zach would pick him up in the late morning, in time to go to the Daddy & Me class. 

 

Zach told Frankie to come at 7:30 so they could pregame a little before the other guys arrived.  Frankie pulled up to Zach’s house and was immediately impressed by the charming curb appeal of the home. The garden was neatly tended with a lush green lawn and bright flowers along the walkway. It wasn’t a large house but it was impeccably maintained.

 

Zach welcomed him into the cozy family room, adorned with leather furniture, lots of sports memorabilia, a large flat screen TV above the fireplace, and a corner filled with all of Gus’ toys.  There was a small bar near the fireplace where Zach had pulled out a bottle of Patron.

 

“A shot for old time’s sake?”

 

They each had two tequila shots with lime and were feeling no pain by the time the other guys arrived. Paul had volunteered to be the designated driver that night and had picked up David and Paul on his way over. 

 

Zach offered them shots as well, then they planned out their night. They all decided that even if they met someone special they would just exchange numbers, dance or whatever. But no hook ups on night one. Most of them needed to get back to their homes that night because of babysitters anyway.

 

Frankie and Zach took an uber, while Paul drove David and Steven.

 

The club was already packed by the time they arrived at 9:00. The DJ was great and the dance floor was crowded already.  The men worked their way to the bar and ordered drinks.  Steven spotted a table that had just opened up so he scrambled to secure it.  They sat at the table for awhile, enjoying their drinks and bullshitting with each other. David told some tasteless dirty jokes, that had them laughing till they cried.  Steven and Zach talked Gator football and Paul asked Frankie all sorts of questions about Ariana. He was a big fan. The men were all enjoying just being guys, without the worry of child care for once.

 

Before long Frankie stood up and was dancing near the table showing off his moves.  A tipsy young woman saw him and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the dance floor. He looked back at them with his eyes wide as if to say “HELP!”

 

Another woman, apparently friends with Frankie’s dance partner, came over asking, “Okay who’s gonna dance with me?” Zach jumped up and offered her his arm, joining Frankie and her friend on the dance floor. Frankie was in his element and soon had a crowd staring at him and his dance moves.  Zach held his own with his unique dance moves and twerking. Before long another obviously gay man worked his way over to Frankie and they began dancing together very suggestively.  Zach too had lost his original dance partner, but was soon cozied up to Sandi, a gorgeous tan blonde wearing a short glittery gold dress. Despite the hotness of his dance partner, however, he couldn’t help but keep glancing over at Frankie and was dismayed to realize that he was actually pissed off that Frankie was dancing with someone else.

 

He and Sandi left the dance floor after a bit to get a drink. He bought her a gin and tonic and got himself another tequila shot. And then another. Followed by a beer chaser. By this point, having had no dinner, he was just plain drunk. He pulled Sandi back out onto the dance floor but made sure they were dancing right next to Frankie and his partner.

 

He caught Frankie’s eye and boldly licked his own lips giving him as much “Bieber” as he could muster.  Frankie’s eyes opened wide and, not knowing how to respond, turned back to his partner and continued dancing.  Zach, emboldened by alcohol and jealousy, danced up behind Frankie and began grinding against him. Sandi, by this point, could see that Zach had other things on his mind and started dancing with someone else. Frankie turned to Zach and mouthed, “What are you doing?” Zach just shrugged and kept grinding.

 

Frankie’s dance partner yelled in his ear, “Do you know this guy? What the fuck is he doing?”

 

Frankie sighed, “Yeah, he’s an old friend and we haven’t seen each other for awhile. I think he’s had a lot to drink. I better see if he’s okay.”

 

Frankie handed the man his phone telling him to put his number in and that maybe they could get together sometime.

 

When Frankie turned back to Zach, he looked furious, which puzzled Frankie.  He pulled Zach off the dance floor and they walked to the back of the club where it was a little quieter.  Zach stumbled a few times and Frankie had to hold him up so he didn’t fall.

 

“What’s the matter Zach? Why do you look so pissed off? And why did you pull me away from that hot guy?”

 

Zach ignored the questions, “DID YOU GET HIS PHONE NUMBER?”

 

Frankie was stunned. Who the fuck was Zach to tell him whose number he should be getting?  “Yes Zach. He’s a gorgeous gay man and I’d like to see him again, especially since we had to cut our dancing short because of YOU. What is your problem?”

 

“I dunno Frankie,” he slurred, “I kinda wanted to dance with you. Remember how we danced in the Big Brother house? A ga ga ga. A ga ga ga!!” Zach did a drunken version of his famous Big Brother twerk ‘n dip dance,

 

Frankie sighed and said, “Okay let’s go dance for a little while and then maybe we should get you home.”

 

Zach pulled Frankie over to the bar before hitting the dance floor, and before Frankie could stop him, he ordered two more tequila shots.

 

“Zach haven’t you had enough?”

 

Zach shrugged and handed Frankie one of the shots, clinking their glasses together, “To Zankie,” then downed the shot. Frankie sighed and did the same.

 

They had a great time dancing. By this time, the other dads had met a group of women and worked their way out to the dance floor. They all danced in proximity to one another, enjoying the feeling of just letting loose for once.

 

After they had sort of worn themselves out, they decided to take off.  They made it till midnight which they all agreed was pretty good for a bunch of old dads.

 

Paul drove David and Steven home, and Frankie and Zach took an uber back to his house.  Zach was still very drunk. Frankie was a little buzzed too and was a bit concerned about driving himself home. He thought maybe if he had a cup of coffee or something he would be okay.

 

Zach must’ve been reading his mind because when they got in the house, he wrapped Frankie into a hug, “Frankie, dontgohomesleephere please,” he pleaded.  “You drank too. Friends don’t let friends drink and drive.”

 

“I don’t know Zach.  Nonna is expecting me. Maybe if I have some coffee…”

 

“Just text her. She’s probably asleep anyway. You can go home in the morning. Please.”

 

Frankie thought about it. He really shouldn’t drive after all the tequila he drank. And he knew Nonna would be fine. “Do you have an extra bed somewhere?”

 

Zach said “You can just sleep in my bed, s’okay. We did that lots of times!”

 

Frankie looked at Zach and said, “You and I both know that’s not a good idea Zach. Do you have a guest room?”

 

Zach sighed then took him to the extra bedroom that served as both a home office and guest room. It had a queen-sized futon, which they pulled out. Zach pointed Frankie to the linen closet for sheets then collapsed in his desk chair watching Frankie through glazed eyes as he made the bed.

 

Frankie got his bed in order, sent a text to Nonna, then pulled Zach up and said, “Let’s get you to bed buddy.”

 

Zach threw his arm around Frankie’s shoulder and pointed him toward his bedroom where he collapsed on his bed, nearly passed out immediately. Frankie went into his bathroom and found some aspirin and a glass.  He filled it with cold water then made Zach sit up to take the painkillers and drink the glass of water. Zach fell back onto the bed fully dressed, completely immobile. Frankie sighed, then began to undress Zach. He pulled off his shoes and socks (unmatched of course) as well as his jeans.  He unbuttoned Zach’s shirt and struggled to pull it off his arms.  Finally he got Zach under the covers, then leaned down to kiss his forehead.

 

Zach reached up and grabbed Frankie around the neck, pulling him into a deep hug.

 

“I miss cuddling with you Frankie.”

 

Frankie sighed and said, “Zach you're drunk. Trust me, you will regret this in the morning, I promise. He kissed his neck and pulled away, turning off the light and quietly walking out of the room.

 

Frankie undressed himself and crawled under the sheets. He lay awake for a long time staring at the ceiling. He was filled with such mixed emotions. He was lonely too. He loved and missed Zach. He knew that in his drunken condition, Zach would be easy and pliable and he would make love to Frankie without hesitation. They could both certainly use the much needed physical release. But he just got Zach back into his life. At the end of the day, Zach was still straight. He didn’t want to risk their renewed friendship for just one night of passion.

 

Finally Frankie fell into a deep sleep.

 

Zach woke up a couple hours later, still feeling the effects of the alcohol but not as strongly. He remembered vaguely that he and Frankie had come home together and that Frankie was staying in his guest room. Zach got up to use the bathroom then walked toward his bed.  He hesitated before lying down then made a decision.

 

He padded quietly down the hall to the guest room. He could see Frankie’s shadow curled up on the futon, his back toward the door.  Zach tiptoed over to the bed and crawled under the sheet, lying down and curling up behind Frankie.  He put his arm around Frankie and pulled him close. Frankie was still asleep as Zach began kissing the back of his neck.

 

Suddenly Frankie’s body stiffened as he woke up and realized what was happening. “Zach what are –“

 

“Shhh, Frankie. Don’t say anything. Please just … just let me stay.”

 

Frankie turned around in the bed and found himself face to face with Zach who was looking at him with so much love and passion, it took Frankie’s breath away.

 

Zach placed one of his hands on Frankie’s cheek running his thumb over Frankie’s lip. Frankie was speechless, feeling a mixture of desire and fear. Was it really worth this amazing moment to risk everything? Before he had a chance to answer that for himself, Zach leaned down and joined their lips. And that was it, Frankie was gone. Because when they kissed, the rest of the world and all the problems they could be creating slipped away.

 

The kiss started out slowly and intimately as they both remembered the feeling and sensation of each other's lips. Soon the gentle kissing became more urgent and Zach licked Frankie’s lower lip. As Frankie’s mouth opened, Zach’s tongue eagerly began exploring the familiar warmth of his mouth. Frankie wrapped his arms around Zach and pulled him on top of him so they were laying flat, their throbbing erections pushing against each other as Frankie’s arms ran up and down Zach’s back, teasing the top of his boxers.

 

Zach pulled Frankie’s lower lip between his teeth as he moved from his mouth and began kissing his neck then moving down his body, marveling over his still taut abs and perfect small hips. Frankie's eyes were closed as he absorbed the sensations coursing through his body. Zach slid Frankie’s tight underwear off and took his throbbing cock into his hands as Frankie groaned loudly.

 

“Zach, I don’t know… what are we doing?”

 

Zach responded by lowering his head and twirling his tongue around the tip of Frankie’s cock then opening his mouth and taking his full length in. He moved slowly and languidly, teasing Frankie with his tongue and gently rolling his balls in his hand.  It had been a long time, but Zach had been a good student and his technique was still perfect.  Frankie was overcome by the sensation he felt throughout his body as Zach’s warm mouth brought him to the edge. His breath got shallow as his hips bucked up. It had been so long and within moments, he was coming ferociously into Zach’s mouth.

 

Zach swallowed it all then moved back up his body and kissed Frankie passionately, allowing Frankie to taste himself in Zach’s mouth.

 

Once Frankie recovered, he gently pushed Zach over so he was lying flat on his back, then moved down his body to return the favor. Frankie removed Zach's boxers and eagerly took Zach into his mouth, remembering the feel and the taste of him as he fervently teased and sucked on his hard cock.  Memories came rushing back to Zach of the intense pleasure he felt when intimate with Frankie. He was loudly moaning grasping at Frankie’s head, burying his fingers in his hair. His hips were bucking erratically as he fucked into Frankie’s mouth, finally shooting a warm load of white liquid down his throat with a loud groan.

 

Frankie fell back next to him as they both caught their breath and recovered from the moment, both suddenly feeling sober and self-conscious about what they had just done.

 

Wordlessly, Zach turned to Frankie, pushed him gently up on his side so that he could spoon him.  He pulled the sheet over both of them and nuzzled into his neck, hooking his arm over Frankie’s chest. Frankie intertwined his fingers with Zach’s as they both fell into a deep troubled sleep.

 

With daylight pouring into the guest room, Zach woke up with a start. It was 8:15 am. He looked over but Frankie was not in bed. Upon further inspection, Zach realized that all his clothes were missing as well. 

 

Zach got up, pulled on his boxers and walked into the kitchen.  There was a note on the counter.

 

_Dear Zach:_

_I had to get home to Nonna and Rose. I’ll see you at Daddy & Me later today._

_xo_

_FJG_

 

Zach buried his face in his hands. What had he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next... where do they go from here??
> 
> I hope you're still enjoying the story. Let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after...

Frankie pulled up to his house at about 7:30 am, quietly unlocking the door and tiptoeing through the foyer. As he hoped would be the case, both Nonna and Rose were still asleep. The house was blissfully silent.  Frankie headed straight for the kitchen and made a large pot of coffee.  He stared into the backyard, not focusing on the lush landscaping or the shimmering pool, but rather trying to sort out the dozens of emotions that were jumbling his mind.

Last night had been both the best and the worst night he’d had in seemingly forever.  Being with Zach, kissing him, touching him and soaring to the highest levels of passion with him brought back a flood of memories and a vivid reminder of the greatest love he had ever known. But then he remembered the other side of the coin. The one where Zach was straight. And confused. And not willing to be out about being in a relationship with Frankie. Frankie had promised himself when they decided just to be friends that he would never ever put himself back in that situation again, with Zach or any other closeted, confused man who might enter his life. There were too many amazing out and proud gay men in the world for Frankie to pine over one who wasn’t. Plus with his dance academy and his daddy duties, he didn’t have time for a relationship anyway.

In the harsh morning light, Frankie silently berated himself. Why did he let Zach in his bed? Why didn’t he firmly walk him back to his own bed and put the kibosh on crossing _that_ line? He had been so happy all week having Zach back in his life. And even though he knew there was a part of him that was still in love with Zach, he really believed that he’d be able to put it aside for the sake of having him as a friend. Because as much as Frankie missed the romance of their relationship, what he really missed the most was his best friend. Zach was the yin to Frankie’s yang. Where Frankie was calculated, careful and conscientious, Zach was rambunctious, outrageous, and impulsive. They drove each other crazy and yet their chemistry when together was unlike anything he’d ever experienced with anyone else. Frankie had been so excited to have that friendship back. But now that this line had been crossed, where could they go from here?

His deep thoughts were interrupted by Rose running down the stairs shouting for him, “Papa, Papa where are you???”

Frankie quietly ran over to the side of the staircase and as Rose got to the bottom step, he jumped in front of the stairs, yelled “BOO,” and swept her into his arms, sending her into a fit of delighted screams and giggles.

“Papa!!! You scared me!”

“Mwhahaha! Then I was successful,” he said in his best mock wicked voice as he buried his head into her tummy and gave her a loud raspberry.

“What does my princess want for breakfast?”

“Froot Loops, Froot Loops!!” she answered.

Frankie sighed and smiled. Yes, it was the height of irony that Rose’s favorite cereal was Froot Loops. 

Nonna emerged a few minutes later. Frankie poured her a cup of coffee, then made some scrambled eggs and toast for the two of them while Rose gobbled down her cereal.

When Rose went into the family room to watch cartoons, Nonna asked Frankie how the night had gone.

“Oh it was a lot of fun,” he said, a bit too brightly. “We went to this new club Beats. A bunch of old dads, but we danced and drank and managed to have a good time without talking about our kids the whole time.”

“So you drank too much to drive, huh?” Nonna asked.

“Yeah. You know, I just didn’t want to take any chances. And Zach has a guest room so I was able to stay there. I got up and left before he even woke up today because I wanted to be here when Rose woke up. Zach had quite a bit to drink. I’m guessing he’s hurting today.”

Nonna raised her eyebrow, “Guest room, huh?” She was never one to beat around the bush. And she generally had a good nose for detecting bullshit.

“Yes Nonna, I slept in the guest room. We’re just friends.”

“So did Zach sleep in his room or the guest room?” Nonna pressed.

“Nonna! Why the third degree? Everything is fine!”

Nonna just raised her eyebrows and took another sip of coffee.  It did not escape her attention that Frankie had not answered her question. And Frankie knew that as usual, he could never get anything by the Grande women. Hell, he thought bitterly, Ari probably instinctively knew that Zach had blown him last night and she was in LA!

 

Zach took a quick shower, grabbed a few things then headed over to his parents to get Gus and Tiger. Tiger loved visiting his parents’ house and being with Bella.  And since he had long stopped chewing the furniture, he parents were happy to have him. Zach looked at the clock. He would have just enough time to visit with his parents for about 20-30 minutes, drop Tiger off back at home, then head to the Daddy & Me class with Gus.

He had spoken to his mom last Sunday night after the surprise reunion with Frankie. Knowing he would be talking about it on his radio show, he figured he’d better let his parents know. He called his mom that night after getting back from Frankie’s.

“Hey Mom it’s me.”

“Hi Zachary! How are you, honey? How was the Daddy & Me class?” Jill had been so glad to hear that Zach had signed up for the class.  She and Kevin sometimes worried that his whole life was consumed by work and parenthood. He rarely saw his friends anymore and had virtually no interest in dating. Jill was hopeful that at least he would find some friends with similar lives that perhaps he could bond with.

“The class was great! And I met some nice guys. I think Gus and I are going to really like it. But I do have a small world story to tell you.  You’ll never guess who was in the class…”

“Who? One of your fraternity brothers? Someone you grew up with? Who??” Jill was racking her brain, trying to think of someone from Zach’s past who might be a single dad.

“None other than Frankie James Grande,” Zach replied.

Jill, who was rarely at a loss for words, was completely silent.

“You still there, Ma?” Zach laughed.

“Frankie? He’s a dad? A single dad?”

“Yep. He adopted a little girl from Africa. And get this. He named her Rose,” Zach laughed. “He moved back to Florida six months ago and opened a dance school. And he’s living in a house with Nonna. Gus and I went over there for lunch after the class. It was great.”

 “Okay,” Jill said hesitatingly. “I mean, was everything okay between the two of you?”

Jill and Zach were very close. He had confided in her a lot during that year after Big Brother. Despite the unfair beating she took on social media, Jill had always been Zach’s number one fan and biggest supporter.  She knew about the nature of Zach and Frankie’s relationship and about Zach’s feelings and confusion. But she also knew that they eventually went their separate ways and that he fell in love with and married a woman.  As far as Jill was concerned, Zach still maintained he was straight and she took him at his word.

“Yeah, actually everything was great,” Zach answered smiling at the memory. “We both acknowledged that we’d been through a crazy thing but that we missed each other as friends. And I think we’re both determined to just get that friendship back. Plus Gus and Rose are basically in love so we’ll be seeing a lot of each other I’m sure.”

Jill had been very supportive, albeit a tad apprehensive. But she tried to hide that as much as possible. She was thrilled that he and Frankie had planned this guys’ night out with some other dads and was happy to have Gus (and Tiger) for the night.

 

Zach pulled up to his parents’ house. As he was heading up the walkway, the door flung open and both Gus and Tiger came running at him. His mom stood in the doorway smiling. Zach scooped Gus up with one arm and pulled him into a hug as he bent down to let Tiger lick his face. This was his family and Zach was the luckiest man in the world as far as he was concerned.

“Daddy, come in the house. Gwandma made pancakes! And mine looks like Mickey Mouse.” Then he whispered loudly “Gwandma can’t made elephant pancakes like Mac does though!”

They all sat down for a quick breakfast. Peyton even got out of bed for breakfast, which considering it was only 9:30, was a miracle. A strapping 16-year old boy, Peyton was every bit a teenager – from sleeping in late, hanging out with his friends, and smart mouthing his parents. But he loved his nephew more than anything and he and Zach were still as close as ever.

“So tell us about your night, Zachary. Jill said, “How was it with the guys? What was the club like? 

Zach recounted the evening in colorful detail, describing each of the dads, telling how they had sat around talking and joking for a long time then ended up dancing. And drinking a lot.

“Well who drove?” Jill asked.

“Oh one guy drove a couple of the other guys. He didn’t drink.  Frankie and I took an uber. I made Frankie sleep over in the guest room because I knew he shouldn’t drive home. He was up and out before I even woke up today,” Zach said casually.

Jill was looking at him carefully as he spoke. When Zach talked about Frankie spending the night, he looked down at his food, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Jill had been this boy’s mom for 29 years. She knew when he was lying or keeping something from him. And her spidey sense told her that there was more to the story. When Zach finally looked up at her and their eyes met, he could see that she knew he wasn’t telling her everything. But neither of them said a word.

Zach changed the subject and asked Gus what they had done last night. He excitedly told Zach about playing hide and seek with Peyton and about how Gwandpa made funny faces and told silly stories. Before long, Zach said they had to get going so they could drop Tiger off at home and get to their class.

“Daddy do I get to see Wose today?” Gus had not stopped talking about Rose since they left Frankie’s house. The boy was smitten. He had been counting down the days till the next class.

“Yep buddy. We’re going back to the Daddy & Me class. That’s why we need to leave. Go say goodbye to everyone and grab your backpack okay?”

Gus gave his grandparents and uncle big hugs and kisses and bent down to hug Bella around the neck.  They hustled out to the car, and Zach buckled Gus into his car seat while Tiger climbed in next to him.  Zach looked at his watch. They were right on schedule.

  

Frankie was far more organized this week so he and Rose left the house in time to get to the class a few minutes before 11. As he was helping her down from her car seat she suddenly yelled, “GUS!!! Papa, Gus is here!!”

Frankie looked behind him and saw Zach getting Gus out of their car. Frankie had to grab Rose’s hand before she darted into the parking lot to greet him. 

“Rose, remember what I’ve told you,” he scolded. “You _never_ leave daddy’s side when we’re near a street or in a parking lot!’

Completely unaffected by the scolding, Rose just said, “Well hurry up! I want to see Gus!”

Frankie grabbed their backpack and took Rose’s hand as they met Zach and Gus near the door of the gym.  Somehow having their kids with them made what could’ve been a very awkward moment just slightly less so. Rose grabbed Gus into a big hug, then took his hand as they walked into the gym. 

Zach looked over at Frankie and grinned, “Hey Frankie. Looks like the kids are happy to see each other! How are you feeling dude? You must’ve been up early.”

Frankie grimaced at the _dude,_ then forced a smile on his face, He reached out and shook Zach’s hand, “Feeling good, buddy. How about you? I think you drank twice as much as I did.”

Zach cringed internally at the handshake. Since when did he and Frankie shake hands? They were huggers. This was beyond uncomfortable.

They continued their banal conversation as they worked their way to the circle, joining their new friends as they once again sat in a big circle. It was a relief to have other men to talk to so they didn’t have to force a stilted conversation between them as if everything was normal.

Chloe ran the class pretty much the same as the week before. They did some group activities, then the kids went with the other instructors to play on some of the equipment.  Chloe gave the dads a chance to talk about their week, share any stories, talk about their challenges and so on.  David piped up and said that a few of them had decided to do a guys’ night out the night before and that they’d had a great time. David was very friendly and suggested that they should do it again soon and that any of the guys would be welcome. The group spent about 15 minutes talking about how hard it is to have a normal social life and to even consider the idea of dating.

Like the week before, the last 45 minutes of the class were left for open gym.  The kids and the dads had free reign of the room.  Since Gus and Rose were inseparable, Zach and Frankie spent the time following them from one activity to the next. The kids were in the ball pit in one corner of the room and, for the moment anyway, no one else was around. 

Zach couldn’t stand the awkwardness anymore so he took advantage of the privacy.

“Frankie,” he said softly, “I’m really sorry about last night. I was drunk. I blew it. I –“

“Well, yes Zach, you did _blow_ it. That seems to be the issue,” Frankie smirked, trying to lighten the moment a bit.

Zach froze and immediately started blushing. “Frankieeeee!" 

Frankie just laughed, “It’s okay Zach. I don’t even know what to think. We were drunk, we have a history, it’s whatever. But it’s probably not a good idea, you know, for um, for that to happen. We both know that we’re better off as friends and that’s what we want. Right?”

“Absolutely,” Zach replied, trying to convince himself that was the case. “Besides we’re single dads. We don’t have time for any bullshit drama. If we can get a meal in or a night out once in awhile, we’ll be lucky. Am I right?”

“Right,” Frankie replied, then reached out his hand, “Just friends. Deal?”

Zach looked at his hand, ignored it, instead pulling him in a hug and patting him firmly on the back, saying, “Deal. But we’re Zankie. We don’t do handshakes; we hug.”

Just then the kids clambered out of the ball pit and took off toward the tumbling mats.  They spent the remainder of the class socializing with some of the other dads as Gus and Rose began to make a few other friends.

As they were gathering their things to leave, Rose said loudly, “Papa can we go to Gus’ house today since he came to my house last time?”

Frankie and Zach both looked hesitant. “I don’t think that’s gonna work today, Rose. I have to go by the dance studio and I think Gus’ dad has some work to do.”

“Yeah,” Zach chimed in, “You know what Rose? Gus and I would love to have you over sometime but today isn’t a good day. How about your dad and I plan another time?”

Rose had a pout on her face but she could see she wasn’t going to get her way.  She and Gus gave each other big hugs and they all departed.

 

Later that night, after Gus was asleep Zach sat at his desk, finalizing some notes for the next day’s show. He had music on in the background and sat back feeling relaxed and a bit melancholy. He picked up his phone and pulled Frankie’s name up on his contacts, then went to the message screen. Hesitating for a moment, he quickly typed out a text.

 Zach

_Hey… so today – kinda weird right?_

 

A full five minutes went by. Zach figured that either Frankie was asleep or for some reason wasn’t going to reply. But then his phone vibrated.

 

Frankie

_Yeah... Can we get past this? Or?_

 

Zach

_Or what?_

 

Frankie

_Or… are we not going to be able to be friends I guess?_

Zach

_No! That’s not what I want. Is that what you want?_

 

Communicating by text made Frankie feel bold. Zach had started this conversation and Frankie was going to run with it. He felt like he had nothing to lose.

 

Frankie

_Zach, I want you in my life. If it means being friends, then we can be friends. Best friends. But that’s it. No “friends with benefits.” Because I can’t handle that._

Zach

_Well, I agree. But – you know – for science, why can’t you handle it?_

Frankie

_Zach, you’ve never been a casual hook up to me. I’ve had hundreds of hook ups. With you, the feelings were always too intense for it to be casual… and they still are._

Zach sat back and closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears that were prickling behind his lids.  _“And they still are.”_   Fuck. What was he supposed to do with that?

 

Zach

_I love you Frankie. You know that. But I’m straight. So yeah, you're right, no more friends with benefits._

Now Frankie was pissed. Maybe it wasn’t fair because he was the one who made the ultimatum. But “I’m straight?” Give me a break.

 

Frankie

_Okay Zach. You’re straight. Got it. But you know what? You didn’t look very straight with your mouth wrapped around my cock last night. I don’t know what you are. But you need to figure it out. Good night Zach._

Zach’s face turned red and his cock actually twitched just at the mention of the prior evening’s exploits. He slammed his phone down on the desk and whisper-yelled “FUCK” so as not to wake Gus. He was confused and pissed. Why did it always have to be so complicated between them? He took a deep breath and picked up his phone again.

 

Zach

_I know you’re pissed and you have a right to be. Like I said, I’m sorry for crossing the line last night. Maybe we both need a couple days to figure this out. Let’s talk later in the week. Good night, Frankie._

 

Zach

_P.S. I love you._

 

Frankie didn’t reply. With a heavy heart, Zach went to his room to get ready for bed. He knew that sleep was not going to come easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming next - Zach mades a return visit to Mac's and gets some words of wisdom from the man himself. And Frankie decides he needs to talk to his sister. More angst, more drama. What else? It's Zankie!
> 
> I hope you're still enjoying! Let me know what you think ...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach spends some time at Mac's reflecting on what happened between him and Frankie five years earlier. He also gets some sage advice from the man himself. 
> 
> ...Smut alert! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Paulette who suggested in a comment that there be a flashback from Zach's perspective as to what happened with them five years ago, how and why they first became romantic/intimate, etc.

Zach and his crew wrapped up the show on Wednesday, followed by a staff meeting to discuss topics for the next day and some upcoming interviews.  They finished up about 1:15, and Emily asked if Zach wanted to join a few of them for a quick bite at the Chili’s down the street.

“Nah, you guys go ahead. I have some work to do. I think I’m gonna head to Mac’s and get a quiet booth where I can concentrate.”

 

Zach was happy to see that his favorite booth was free, the same one where he sat with Frankie just a week before. Allison came over and gave him a big hug.

“Hey boo, how’s my boy? And where’s that little firecracker Frankie? It’s always good to see you of course, but I gotta say, I love me that Frankie!”

Zach forced out a chuckle, “No Frankie today, Allison. You’re stuck with me. I’ll have lemonade to drink and a Cobb salad, Italian dressing on the side.”

Allison gave him a quizzical look. Zach just smiled and looked down at his iPad. Usually she couldn’t get Zach to place an order until he’d talked her ear off for at least five minutes. Today he was all business, but she had a feeling something more was going on.

Zach pretended to be focused on his tablet, but his mind was definitely elsewhere.  He hadn’t talked to Frankie at all since their text conversation Sunday night. He felt a weight in the pit of his stomach, fearing that he’d ruined whatever chance they had at a rekindled friendship, but equally afraid that a friendship was all it could be.

Zach found himself thinking back to the first time they had crossed the platonic barrier. When they were in the jury house, Frankie was just as flirtatious as he’d been all summer. But with more privacy, they found opportunities to talk “when there’s no cameras around” as Zach famously whispered in the house. Zach acknowledged to Frankie that he felt an intense attraction to him and that it was really confusing. Frankie understood what he was going through and just let him talk, offering words of support. Frankie had been with straight men before and Zach knew it was a journey he was not anxious to embark on again.  But the bottom line was that they both admitted a strong physical attraction to each other that was further intensified by the friendship and amazing love they had developed.

On their last evening before sequestration, all the jurors stayed outside in the Jacuzzi till late in the night, drinking beer and wine and enjoying a warm summer evening. One by one, the jurors made their way indoors until it was just Zach and Frankie in the hot tub. They were laughing and joking around, Frankie doing his usual grabbing and kissing Zach’s neck as Zach giggled and said, “Frankie stahhhpppp!”

Zach threw his head back squirming at the ticklish sensation as Frankie nuzzled into his neck and nibbled. When Zach brought his head forward, Frankie’s face was just inches from his. As they stared at each other, Frankie reached up and stroked Zach’s cheek, then moved his hand to tease and play with his ear. Zach’s breath hitched as he felt a wave of pleasure shoot through his body. He had a sudden realization: “Frankie is going to kiss me.”

And while this notion should have filled him with fear, he was actually completely calm. His eyes must have granted permission because Frankie cautiously leaned in and joined their lips for a brief kiss, then pulled back, looking at Zach to make sure it was okay. Pausing for just a moment Zach leaned back in for more as the kiss deepened. They stayed just like that in a warm embrace kissing and getting to know each other’s mouths and tongues until they pulled apart to catch their breaths.  Frankie leaned his forehead against Zach’s whispering, “Are you okay? Was that okay?”

Zach smiled, “What do you think?” He pulled Frankie into a tight hug then leaned in and kissed his neck.

Frankie smiled and said, “To be continued outside of jury…”

Zach smiled in return, “Absolutely.”

After the season ended, things got far more complicated. Zach was bombarded with inquiries about the “Zankie showmance” and felt that his sexuality was always the underlying question. His mom had been concerned about what might happen and did her best to shelter him so he could gather his thoughts. His public appearances and interviews in the first couple months were all over the place and further confused both the fanbase and Frankie.

It wasn’t till Halloween that he and Frankie were finally in a good place. They had talked through a lot and Zach had confessed that he could not stop thinking about Frankie and really wanted to spend some time with him. Frankie had been hot and cold about the situation as well, but he couldn’t deny that he really missed being with Zach.

The fans went nuts for all of the photos and vines that they shared on “Zankieween.” As it turned out, that was also the night that they took their physical relationship to the next level. Zach had already planned to sleep at Frankie’s since they knew they would be drinking. When they finally got up to Frankie’s room, Zach was a feeling a mixture of excitement and terror. Frankie closed his bedroom door then turned to face Zach. And then at what should’ve been an incredibly romantic moment. Frankie started giggling.

“What’s so funny?” Zach was a little peeved.

“It’s just that you look so scared. Like a little boy who’s afraid he’s about to be eaten by a wolf or something.”

Zach smirked sheepishly, “Well yeah, that’s a pretty good analogy actually.”

Frankie closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Zach’s waist. “Don’t worry my love, no pressure. Let’s just see how it goes.”

Zach looked into Frankie’s eyes then leaned in to join their lips. The kiss moved quickly from soft and loving to passionate and urgent.  Frankie pushed Zach down on the bed then lay next to him continuing the kiss as he pressed the lengths of their bodies together. After a couple minutes he crawled on top of Zach, pushing his leg into Zach’s crotch, eliciting a low moan from Zach as he rubbed his erection against Frankie’s thigh, longing for friction.

Frankie sat up and pulled off his shirt then pulled off Zach’s. Zach looked with wonder at Frankie’s perfect body as Frankie leaned down and began working his mouth down Zach’s newly firmed and fit body. Starting at the neck he began kissing his chest, teasing his nipples with his fingers and tongue. He ran his fingers under the waistband of Zach’s shorts, then slowly unbuttoned and unzipped them, slipping both the shorts and Zach’s boxers off. Zach’s head was thrown back on a pillow and his eyes closed as he tried to absorb all the sensations he was feeling.

Frankie gently wrapped his hands around Zach’s swollen cock, tugging on it a couple times then rubbing the precum over the top. He leaned down and took the head of his cock into his mouth. He expertly sucked and licked, moving down to take in Zach’s full length using his tongue to tease Zach to the edge.

Knowing Zach wouldn’t last long, he stopped for a moment, smiling as Zach voiced his dismay. “Zach, you said more than once that you wanted to fuck me. Are you ready for that or do you want me to keep doing this?”

Zach thought about it for a moment then said, “Okay where’s the lube and condom? And you’re going to have to help me out here.”

Frankie grabbed both items from his bedside table. He pulled off his shorts and underwear, not failing to notice Zach looking at his body, wide-eyed and thirsty. He showed Zach how to coat his fingers with lube and instructed him on how to insert his fingers one by one to stretch him out. Frankie turned over onto his stomach and Zach carefully inserted his index finger into Frankie's tight hole.

To say that Zach was a good student was an understatement. He curved his finger just right and hit Frankie’s prostate almost immediately. Frankie was coming undone to the point where he could barely speak anymore, let alone instruct Zach. But Zach didn’t need any more help as Frankie finally said, “Zach, I’m ready, please I need you. Now.”

Zach removed his fingers then quickly rolled the condom onto his extremely hard dick and lined up with Frankie’s hole. He hesitated, afraid he was going to hurt him. 

Frankie said “It’s okay Zach. Just push in then pause so I can adjust.”

Zach did as instructed. He had never felt anything so amazing. Frankie was so tight around him that he was seeing stars. After a few seconds Frankie told him it was okay to move. Zach tried to thrust gently and slowly but as Frankie pushed back against him, Zach’s thrusts became more erratic. Soon he was pounding in and out of Frankie, hitting his prostate repeatedly as Frankie moaned in pleasure. Frankie started to reach down to stroke himself, but Zach pushed his hand out of the way, wrapping his own hand around Frankie’s cock. After just a few strokes Frankie let out a guttural moan as he came all over Zach’s hand and the sheets. That was all it took for Zach. He thrust one more time and then filled the condom with the most mind-blowing intense orgasm he had ever experienced. He groaned so loudly that Frankie actually giggled, saying that he probably woke the entire household and the neighbors as well.

Zach pulled out and disposed of the condom. They cleaned themselves off then settled into each other’s arms. Frankie was concerned that it might all be too overwhelming for Zach but Zach assured him that he had no regrets and that he loved Frankie more than he ever thought possible to love another person. It was a magical night and it seemed that nothing could ever pull them apart.

As Zach sat in the booth at Mac’s letting these memories flood over him, he couldn’t figure out how they went from that night to the shit storm that defined the next few months. There was the magic of ROA opening night followed by a fallout before Zach left New York. There was the passion they couldn’t hide when they were on Dirty Pop Live together, followed days later by another fallout because Frankie didn’t want to be in a secret relationship. There was Christmas when Frankie came to Florida and all they did was argue. And then there was the magic of Zach moving to New York, responding to Frankie’s despair with the isotope tweet and the stage door surprise. And finally there was 54 Below when it became obvious to the entire fandom that Zankie was real. They couldn’t hide it on stage or afterwards when they repeatedly embraced for moments at a time as fans looked on incredulously. And if that wasn’t enough, Zach’s Snapchat of Frankie dancing over him as he grabbed Frankie’s crotch pretty much sealed the deal.

But ultimately they were done in by the fallouts they had after Frankie returned from Africa as well as Zach’s unhappiness at being away from his family and home. When he returned to Florida for the Honda Golf Classic, he took all of his belongings and told AJ that he needed to be home to clear his head.

When Frankie came to Florida to visit Nonna a couple weeks later, they had a long difficult talk during which they decided that they were better off ending their romantic relationship before they grew to hate each other. Zach still identified as straight and Frankie could not handle being in a relationship that was based on secrecy and lies.  The conversation was absolutely heartbreaking for both of them as they held each other, kissed and cried into each other’s shoulders.

While they broke up in an attempt to save their friendship, the irony was that they both let the friendship slip away. It was just too painful. And so that had been it. Until Daddy & Me.

Zach sighed heavily as his Cobb salad was placed in front of him. He looked up to thank Allison but was surprised to see Mac standing there with a big toothy grin on his face.

“Zach, how you been?”

Zach stood up and gave Mac a big hug. “I’m doing great, Mac, how are things with you? How’s your family?”

“Oh we’re fine, just fine. Can’t complain.”

Mac paused then took the seat across from him in the booth. “Okay Zachy, you need to level with me. Something’s wrong. Allison told me you don’t seem yourself so I had to come out and check for myself. And yep, the girl has a good read on you. So tell me what’s what.”

“Oh you know, just a lot going on with work. And then trying to balance it all with Gus. Just that kinda stuff.”

Mac looked at him closely like he knew Zach was full of shit.

“Okay I’m just gonna say this and you can feel free to kick my ass if I’m completely out of my mind. Allison told me that you were here with Frankie Grande last week. I may be an old geezer, but I know who he is, you know. I told you that I watched your whole Big Brother season on YouTube after we became friends. And it didn’t take a genius to see that Zankie was a bit more than a bromance.” 

Zach interrupted, “Mac, c’mon you know I’m straight. I was married. I have a son. Frankie and I had… well, we had an interesting um, journey after the show ended, but at the end of the day we were just very close friends.”

Zach was looking down at his hands as he said all of this, unable to meet Mac’s eyes.

Mac leaned in close, “Look Zach, I really don’t give a shit where you stick your dick. Sexuality ain’t black and white, even an old fashioned guy like me knows that. It’s just… life is short, man. Seems like yesterday I was young, handsome and strong like you. I blinked twice and my kids were grown and out of the house and now I’m a grandpa. It’s impossible to go through life without regrets. But most times we don’t get a second chance to right a wrong. So _if_ I’m on the right track, all I’m gonna say is don’t double down on a regret that still haunts you five years later.”

Zach looked at Mac and smiled weakly, at a loss for words. Mac stood up, ruffled Zach’s hair, and said, “Finish up that salad. I have a new chocolate cake with raspberry and peach drizzle that I just whipped up and need you to taste test for me. And I made a custom turtle shaped chocolate chip cookie for you to take home to Gus.”

As Zach got into his car twenty minutes later, stuffed to the gills with both good food and sage advice, he realized that Mac was absolutely right. If he was being completely honest with himself, he knew that at some level, he had never really gotten over Frankie. And it was pretty clear Frankie felt the same way. Mac was right. He could never forgive himself if he let his pride overpower the truth of how he felt. And even if the whole thing went up in flames, at least he would know that he tried.

He pulled out his phone and placed a call to Frankie. He was sent directly to Frankie’s voicemail so left him a message.

_Hey Frankie. It’s me. Listen… I really need to talk to you babe. Can we have dinner maybe tomorrow night? Do you think Nonna or your nanny can watch Rose? Let me know._

A couple hours later, Frankie finished teaching his last class of the day. He gathered his belongings to head for home and noticed he had a voicemail. From Zach.  He stared at his phone, scared to hear the message. Finally knowing he had little choice, he pressed the button and listened. He could hear in Zach's voice where his head was at. Hell, he even called him _babe_. Frankie felt himself being pulled toward that flame that Zach was clearly offering but also scared to death to do so. He had been burned so many times before.

He knew what he had to do. When it came to matters of the heart, the one person who knew him best and never steered him wrong was Ari. She knew that he and Zach had unexpectedly ended up in the Daddy & Me class together, but he hadn’t talked to her about any of the details.  He sent her a quick text.

_911 emergency – Need some Ari Advice. Can we talk tonight around 10pm my time?_

She replied immediately.

_Let me guess. Zach Attack is back. I’ll be waiting for your call. xoxo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next, Ari helps Frankie work out his conflicting emotions. And Zach and Frankie come together to finally define their relationship once and for all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frankie talks it out with Ari. Zach and Frankie get together for dinner and a heart to heart. Hope prevails!
> 
> (Lots of dialogue and angst, plus smut at the end!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knows what's going on with Zankie in the real world, but I am enjoying the fanfic Zach and Frankie very much! Thanks for reading.

Frankie settled into the armchair in the family room, the very chair that Zach  sat in a couple weeks earlier, falling asleep to _Frozen 2._ Frankie could still picture Zach sleeping, his head slumped to the right, mouth slightly ajar, wild hair completely askew, and yet still somehow perfect. Even all these years later, Zach still took his breath away. Physically, he was a walking oxymoron, sometimes appearing untamed and dangerous and other times innocent and vulnerable.  From the moment they met, Frankie was inextricably drawn to him, even knowing on that very first day that his longing would likely bring more pain than pleasure.

Frankie had texted Zach in response to his voicemail.

_Got your message. I teach classes tomorrow evening so I can’t have dinner. Tbh I need to think about it … but maybe another night... Maybe. I’ll call you tomorrow._

Zach had replied immediately.

_Okay. I will make it work whenever is convenient for you. Please let this happen Frankie. It's important to me._

Frankie didn’t reply.

Rose had been in bed for almost two hours already and Nonna had retired to her room.  Frankie looked at his phone and seeing that it was 10:02, he pressed Ari’s name from his Favorites list.  Ari was still living in Los Angeles and still one of the most prolific and popular female pop artists in the world. She had put out three more albums since _My Everything_ and was preparing for another world tour. She and Sean had amicably ended their relationship after dating for a couple years. Ari’s youth combined with both their busy careers had made it difficult for their relationship to grow. However, Frankie knew that Sean had contacted Ari recently and that they had gone out a couple times. So who knew what the future held for them?

She picked up on the first ring.

“Let me guess. Zach wants you back and you can’t resist even though you know he will break your heart again. Am I close?” Ari said quickly, skipping the customary _hello_.

Frankie barked out a cynical laugh, “Yeah basically.”

“Oh Frankie what am I going to do with you? Okay fill me in.”

Frankie spent the next ten minutes recounting every detail of what had happened since he and Zach laid eyes on each other at the Daddy & Me class. He told her about Zach’s child and his whole marital disaster. He described in humorous detail their night at Beats, followed by a very descriptive recounting of what had happened at Zach’s house. And then the aftermath the next day at the class followed by their emotional, frustrating text conversation. Frankie and Ari were still as close as two siblings could be. And even though he was 11 years older than her, she was always the first person he turned to for life advice. She never thought twice when Frankie described his relationship and sexual exploits in detail.

When he concluded by telling her about the voicemail Zach had left him that afternoon, Ari paused to gather her thoughts.

“You know Frankie. You’ve been down this road so many times with Zach that my gut instinct is to tell you to buck up and run the other way because I don’t want to see you hurt again…”

“But…” Frankie interrupted.

“Wait, let me finish,” Ari insisted. “The thing is … you and Zach … it seems like you can’t escape each other. You’re brought together by outside forces that appear random and coincidental. But you and I both believe there are no accidents, that there’s always a higher power at work. Yet I also believe that no matter what life sets out for us, we always have a choice as how to receive it. If seeing Zach after this long still brings you pain and fear above anything else, then maybe you need to stay strong, get some closure, and walk away. But if that fear is miniscule compared to the feeling that you never stopped loving him and that there will never be anyone else like him for you, then maybe you need to face the fear and find a new way to come together that works for both of you.”

Frankie began to cry, unable to respond for a moment. Ari stayed silent, giving him the time he needed to collect his thoughts.

Finally he responded quietly. “I do love him still. I knew it the moment I saw him in that class. And I’m pretty sure he feels the same way. But fuck yeah, I’m scared as hell. There’s more at stake now. We both have children, children who have become friends. I mean, if we give this a try and it doesn’t work, then what? I tell Rose, ‘Oh sorry, you can’t see Gus anymore because his Daddy and I don’t like each other.' That could be devastating."

“Frankie,” Ariana interrupted, “Stop worrying so much! You said it. You love Zach. He loves you. If you go into this knowing there’s more at stake and that you’ll need to find a different way forward, you CAN make it work. I mean give him some credit. Look at his transformation since you last saw him. He has a great career; he single-handedly stepped up to raise his child when the mom deserted them. I mean he’s actually matured into a pretty amazing guy! You would both be lucky to have each other. Have faith that the combination of what you went through in the past and how far you’ve both come individually will allow you to move forward together. As for your kids, they’re adaptable. They are both clearly loved and adored and they will be fine regardless.”

“You really think it could work?” Frankie asked. He had been convinced Ari would try to talk him out of rekindling a relationship with Zach.

“You know,” she answered, “when I realized earlier today you wanted to talk to me about Zach, my gut instinct was that there was no way I could see the two of you ever being together again. I’ve nursed you through too many Zach Attack heartbreaks. But the Zach you described is not the Zach of 2015. He’s clearly matured a lot. He seems to have a sense of who he is and what he wants. I mean there are no guarantees obviously. But Frankie… Zach is your soul mate – that seems pretty obvious. If you walk away from this chance without giving it a shot, I just think you would regret it forever.”

Frankie let out a big sigh. “I guess you’re right. I’m surprised at your reaction to be honest. Happy. But surprised. I really expected you to be the voice of reason who would tell me it would be completely nuts to try this again.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong,” she laughed, “You are both completely nuts! And Zankie is like a force of nature that can either be as spectacular as a breathtaking sunrise or as frightening as a 6.0 earthquake! I’m just hoping the two of you can find a way to make it more sunrises and rainbows and less earthquakes and tornadoes.” 

Frankie laughed, “You know you’re the best, right? Thanks for listening to me go on and on. And for giving me such honest advice. I love you to the moon and back.”

“Same.” She replied. “Say hi to Zach for me. And tell him if he fucks with your heart I will hunt him down and make him pay.”

Frankie smiled, knowing that Ari was completely serious. She was a tiny thing but anyone who messed with her loved ones would not escape her wrath.

After the call ended, Frankie went upstairs and got ready for bed.  He lay awake for awhile, thinking about his conversation with Ari and trying to envision how he and Zach could possibly move forward. Finally he realized that if they were to try this, they would both need to find that way together. He didn’t need to be the one to figure it out alone. He picked up his phone and typed out a quick text to Zach.

_How about Friday night?_

 

Zach had gotten Gus to bed then fallen asleep in front of the TV watching SportsCenter.  The vibration of his phone woke him when Frankie’s text came in. Friday night? He would have to scramble. His nanny Maria wouldn’t stay late or work weekends unless he gave her plenty of notice.  He thought about calling his mom but since it was after 11:00, he sent her a text instead.

_Hi Ma. Any chance you guys can watch Gus on Friday night?_

 

Jill

_Sorry. Dad and I have dinner plans with some friends._

 

“Shit,” Zach thought to himself, his mind scrambling. Then he thought about his brother.

_What about Peyton? I know he hasn’t babysat him alone before, but he’s 16. He can handle it, don’t you think?_

Jill

_Probably. But you’re gonna have to pay him, you know._

Zach

_Yeah, yeah I know. Okay I’ll text him._

Jill

_He’s asleep, so you probably won’t hear back until morning._

 

Asleep? Ha, thought Zach. He was probably jerking off to porn on his laptop with all the lights off if he was anything like Zach at 16.

_Hey Pizzle. I need a babysitter for Friday night. Mom and Dad are going out so they can’t do it. What do you say? How about some time with your favorite nephew? I’ll bring him and Tiger over to the house._

Peyton

_What’s it worth to you? Babysitters make good money ya know._

Zach

_Okay, how about $10 an hour?_

Peyton

_$15_

Zach

_C’mon Peyton, that’s insane. $12._

Peyton

_$13 plus money to order take out Chinese._

Zach sighed and figured he might as well accept this highway robbery of a deal.  Beggars couldn’t be choosers. 

_Fine. But once Mom and Dad are home, you’re off the clock. I’ll bring him over at 5pm. See you then._

Zach was tempted to text Frankie to let him know they were on but he decided to wait till morning in case Frankie was asleep.

  

Zach’s mornings started very early since the radio show began at 8am.  He was usually out of the house by 6:30, arriving at the station by 7:00. He liked to have some time alone in his office to have coffee and a bagel and review his notes for the day. Emily and the rest of the team straggled in over the next 15 minutes. They always had a quick staff meeting at 7:30 before starting promptly at 8:00.

Zach was in his office, drinking his second cup of coffee.  He pulled out his phone to text Frankie. He had decided to invite Frankie to his house for dinner rather than going out. He knew that Frankie might be hesitant because of what happened last time at the house, but Zach could be very persuasive.

_Okay I made babysitting arrangements for Gus on Friday so we’re set. I’m taking him to my folks’ house so I thought maybe we could have dinner at my house. I’ve become quite a Grill Master you know._

He didn’t even know if Frankie would be awake yet so he was surprised when a reply came in almost immediately.

 

_I don’t know if it’s the best idea to do this at your house Zach. Don’t you think a neutral location would be better?_

Zach

_I knew you were going to say that lol. I promise I’m not setting this up so I can take advantage of you! I just thought it would be more private and give us a chance to talk openly without worrying about other people around us. Please Frankie. I really want to cook for you! And it’s spring. The weather’s great.  We can sit outside…_

 

Frankie

_Okay fine I guess. What time and what can I bring?_

 

Zach

_How about 6:30? I’ve got the food taken care of. If you want to bring a bottle of wine, that would be great._

Frankie

_Okay see you tomorrow at 6:30._

 

Zach took a deep breath as his face broke out in a big smile. Just at that moment Emily walked in to his office.

“Okay boss, we’re ready for the morning meeting. What are you so happy about? It’s too early to be smiling that big!”

Zach stood up and put his arm around her as they walked over to the conference room, “It’s a beautiful morning, Emily. You gotta begin everyday by feeling grateful!”

Emily thought “Oh boy here he goes with all that _The Secret_ mumbo jumbo again.” Although she had to admit, it was definitely working for him. But she also had a sense there was more to it then just your garden-variety daily gratitude. However if there was one thing she knew about Zach it was that he wasn’t going to let her in on anything until he was good and ready.

 

Frankie’s last class on Friday was over at 2:00. He loved having short days on Fridays. He always tried to go to his favorite soul cycling class at 2:30 followed by some grocery shopping and errands. He was a little rushed today because he had to get home and showered then leave for Zach’s by 6:00, and he wanted to spend some time with Rose before rushing out.  After the cycling class ended, he stopped at Trader Joe’s and picked up a bottle of his favorite Pinot Grigio plus some snacks for the house then drove home, arriving by 4:45.  He took a shower while the nanny was still there, then came down to play with Rose at about 5:20.  Nonna had sent the nanny home, and she and Rose were having a very fancy tea party.

“Papa, c’mere! I poured some tea for you too!!” 

Frankie took a seat at the small “tea table” and pretended to take a huge gulp of the imaginary tea.

“Ooooo, hot, too hot!!” Rose, you didn’t tell me you made such HOT tea!!!” Frankie yelped.

Rose giggled, “Papa, I _always_ tell you, you havta blow on the tea before you drink! You prolly burnt your tongue! Silly papa!”

“OH! I always forget to BLOW on the tea!! How come you’re so smart, my little Rosie?”

Frankie reached over and picked Rose up from her chair, hugging her tight to him as he tickled her tummy. 

“Stop Papa stop,” Rose said between giggles as she kicked her legs wildly.

Frankie gave her a big kiss on her cheek and put her back down in her chair.

“Where are you going Papa? You’re in fancy clothes!”

Frankie was hardly in “fancy clothes,” but he wasn’t wearing the normal shorts and tank top that he put on after work. He had on a pair of tight pink jeans and a fitted white v-neck t-shirt.

“I’m going out to dinner with a friend, my little angel. You and Nonna get to stay here and have pizza for dinner and ice cream for dessert!”

“Can I eat my pizza in the family room and watch TV? Please!!”

Frankie looked at Nonna who said, “Of course you can. Let’s pick out a movie we can watch together!” 

As they looked through the DVDs, Frankie ordered a pizza and pulled out some carrots and grapes for them to eat as well. He sat with them for a few minutes of the movie, then shortly before 6:00 kissed them both goodbye.

Nonna walked him to the front door. Of course she knew he was going out with Zach.  Frankie hadn’t really filled her in on all the events of the past couple days, but by this time, Ari had clearly told Joan what was going on, who in turn had told Nonna what she knew. 

Nonna placed her hands on Frankie’s cheeks and said, “Frankie, I know you love this man. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how he feels about you. Just make sure that you get from him whatever you need to make you feel whole. Even if that’s as simple as him holding your hand in public. Okay?”

Frankie smiled as his eyes glistened. He was so lucky to have three generations of Grande women who loved him so fiercely. He gave her a big hug and headed out the door.

  

Zach pulled into his garage at 5:35. He had dropped Gus and Tiger off, then helped Peyton figure out what to order from the Chinese take out. He left cash to pay for the food as well as all the necessary paraphernalia for an overnight for both Gus and Tiger. His parents hadn’t left yet so of course they wanted to know what he was doing.

“I’m cooking dinner for Frankie. He’s coming to the house,” Zach said.

Jill and Kevin both looked a little stunned before Jill found her voice, “Oh... Okay. Well that sounds nice. Any special occasion? What are you making?”

“No special occasion,” Zach answered. “We just thought it would be nice to have dinner together without the kids. I’m barbequing salmon and corn on the cob. In fact, I’d better get out of here so I can get home and finish preparing.”

He gave Gus a kiss goodbye and rushed out the door, knowing his parents were likely a bit stunned, but figuring they'd understand soon enough.

By 6:30, Zach had showered and changed into clean dark shorts and a cream colored button down short sleeved shirt. The salmon was marinating in a special teriyaki sauce recipe that he’d created himself. The corn was wrapped in foil, as were the French rolls. A green salad was ready in the fridge, and there were fresh berries for dessert.

The doorbell rang just after 6:35.  Zach opened the door and his voice caught in his throat. Just like the first time he had laid eyes on Frankie, all he could think was “he is fucking gorgeous.”

Frankie smiled shyly. Zach grinned back and pulled him into a big hug. “Hey Frankie, come in.”

They each had a glass of wine while they sat outside and chit chatted about their week. Zach’s backyard wasn’t large but it was very quaint with a nice lawn and colorful impatiens lining the perimeter along the fence. There was no pool but there was a stand alone Jacuzzi in the corner. Zach got up to turn the barbecue on, and he and Frankie brought out the fish and corn to be placed on the grill and the rolls to be warmed. Frankie was impressed by how organized Zach was. As the salmon was close to being done, Frankie offered to help so Zach sent him inside to toss the salad with a balsamic vinaigrette.  A few minutes later, they were sitting at the outdoor table enjoying a beautiful meal as the daylight started to fade away.

“Zach this marinade is so good. What is it? Where can I buy it?”

Zach laughed, “You can’t buy it. I created it myself. If you’re nice, maybe I’ll give you the recipe.”

Before long they had finished both the meal and the bottle of wine. In fact, Zach had opened a second bottle and refilled their glasses. Neither of them was drunk but they were feeling no pain. 

Zach gathered his nerves and dove in. “Frankie… I’m so sorry. What I said to you the other night when we were texting. That was wrong. I wasn’t being honest.”

Frankie didn’t say anything. He wanted to let Zach talk, see what he had to say.

Zach continued, “You, um, you said that we could be friends but we couldn’t do the friends with benefits thing because you couldn’t handle it. And I’ve been thinking about it. I can’t handle it either. But I don’t want to be friends.”

Maybe it was the wine, but Frankie was confused. Zach didn’t want friends with benefits and he didn’t want to be friends either. What?

“What are you talking about Zach? I have no idea what you’re saying.”

Zach reached over the table and took Frankie’s hand in his, “What I’m saying, Frankie, is that I love you. I guess I’ve always loved you. I still think of myself as straight but maybe that’s not right, I don’t know. I mean I’ve never really been attracted to other men, and since we’ve been apart I’ve only dated women. So I don’t know if bisexual defines me either. I mean I don’t know what to say here. I guess I sort of understand now what people mean when they say “no labels.” All I know is that I love **_you_**. And I don’t want to be friends. I want to be a couple. I want us to share our lives together. I want to try again…”

Frankie squeezed Zach’s hand as he fought to prevent the tears that were pooling in his eyes from spilling onto his cheeks. He couldn’t speak for a moment, but then finally found the words.

“Zach, look. I love you too. Sometimes I wish I didn’t to be honest, but I do. I thought I had moved on completely from you, but seeing you again brought all of those old feelings flooding back. No one has ever loved me the way you do. The way you look at me and the way you see me – I want to be that person for you. But I have to admit. I’m really scared. We’ve gone down this path before and it always ends in disaster. And now we have kids to consider. We have to find a new way because clearly what we did in the past didn’t work.”

Zach leaned closer to Frankie, “I know. I know you’re right. And I know a big part of what made it so difficult in the past was that I wasn’t ready to be public with our relationship. It was such an insane time with all the social media following our every move after Big Brother. I was so confused about my feelings for you, and having to deal with that while I was under this public microscope… well, it’s no excuse but I just couldn’t handle it.”

Frankie reassured him, “No Zach. It’s actually a good excuse. I mean to have to come out or even just acknowledge that as a straight man you were in love with and attracted to a gay man – that’s hard under the best of circumstances in a man’s life. But to have to do that with the kind of public scrutiny you were under? That was insane. I tried to be patient, but my own ego got in the way too.  I was dealing with my sister’s soaring celebrity and me trying to find my place in her world but also how I, Frankie Grande, was going to stand alone and develop my own career separate from Ari’s. So to be dealing with that and also be in love with a man who I couldn’t be public with… well, it was just too much and I gave up. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Zach replied. “Everything happens for a reason. Look, I married a bat shit crazy woman, but I have Gus. I wouldn’t trade a single day in my life for that. Even losing you. Even dealing with Rachel’s abandonment. I have my son and he has made me a better person. And you? You went on your own journey. And you adopted this amazing child from Africa. I mean can you imagine your life without Rose? It wasn’t the right time for us then. But that doesn’t mean it’s not the right time now.”

Frankie stood up from his chair, pulling Zach up from his. He wrapped his arms around Zach’s neck and kissed him passionately, pouring into his lips all the love he had been holding back. Zach returned the kiss, holding him tight. He tasted salt and wasn’t sure if it was from his tears or Frankie’s. A moment later they pulled apart. Zach took Frankie’s hand and wordlessly led him to his bedroom.

They still had to figure out their next move, how to find a way forward that worked for both of them. But at that moment, neither of them wanted to talk anymore. They needed each other.

Zach pulled Frankie into his arms and kissed him again, running his hands over Frankie’s back and his ass.  He grabbed the bottom of Frankie’s shirt and pulled it over his head. Looking at Frankie’s chest and tight abs Zach shook his head, “Frankie your body is still as perfect as it was five years ago. You are gorgeous.”

He ran his hands slowly over Frankie's abs and his shoulders, teasing Frankie with his light touch. Frankie was almost shaking with desire. He unbuttoned Zach’s shirt and pulled it off his shoulders, returning the admiration, leaning in to kiss his neck in the spot that he knew drove Zach crazy as he teased his nipples with his fingers.

Zach lifted Frankie up and gently placed him on the bed. He slowly unbuttoned and unzipped his tight jeans, peeling both the jeans and his underwear off. He quickly removed his own shorts and underwear then lay on top Frankie, joining their lips together as they both thrust their hips toward each other fully aroused. Frankie’s hands worked their way to Zach’s ass as he separated his cheeks and teased his rim with his index finger.

“Zach, please. I want to fuck you. I need to be inside you.”

Zach shivered with pleasure, Frankie’s finger arousing him in a way that he had all but forgotten since they ended their relationship. “I need you inside me too. Oh my God, Frankie, that feels so good. I forgot.”

Frankie slid out from under him then with Zach lying on his stomach. Frankie kissed both his ass cheeks as he gently pulled them apart. He teased Zach’s hole with his tongue, twirling around it around then jabbing at the hole as Zach groaned in pleasure, grasping at the sheets and rubbing himself against the mattress to try to get friction on his throbbing erection.

Frankie took a wild guess and opened the drawer of the bedside table. He smiled when he saw the new box of condoms and full bottle of lube. Zach had definitely planned ahead.

He squeezed lube on his fingers, then slowly inserted the first one into Zach’s hole. Zach clenched up at the unfamiliar sensation. Frankie kissed the back of his neck, rubbing his ass gently, “Relax Zach. Relax.”

Zach took a deep breath and unclenched. Frankie slowly worked his finger in and out, stretching him out. He curved his finger and hit Zach’s prostate. Zach’s toes curled and he let out a guttural cry as the intense sensation washed over him.  Frankie inserted a second finger, causing Zach to hiss with pain. But within a moment he was pushing back against Frankie’s hand. Before long he was able to put a third finger in. At this point Zach was literally fucking Frankie’s hand.

“Frankie, I’m ready. Please… I need you inside me.”

“Okay, but turn over Zach. I want to see your face when I push my cock in.”

Zach turned over onto his back as Frankie rolled on a condom and pulled Zach’s legs over his shoulders. He gently stroked Zach’s face with one hand as he used the other to line up his cock to the hole. As he slowly pushed his length in, Zach threw back his head, and let out a cry, closing his eyes, and adjusting to the mixture of pain and pleasure. Frankie couldn’t tear his eyes away from his lover’s face even as he was overcome with the sensation of the tightness of Zach’s ass.  After a few seconds, Zach began pushing up toward Frankie. Frankie rolled his hips and thrust slowly, pulling almost all the way out each time then slamming back in.

Thank goodness there was no one else in the house because the sounds coming from Zach could’ve woken the dead. Frankie was wrapped up in his own bliss. Zach was so tight, it was as if they were fucking for the first time. But it wasn’t the first time. And as they fucked each other, they both poured into it all the emotion of their history, the pain they’d caused each other and the love they’d shared. But mostly they felt the hope of what was yet to come as they tried again.

Frankie could see that Zach was coming apart underneath him. And he knew that he wouldn’t last long himself. He wrapped his hand around Zach’s swollen cock and began to stroke it. He watched as Zach’s mouth opened and he shouted out “OH FUCK!” as he came all over Frankie’s hand. That was all it took for Frankie who thrust one more time and came just as loudly, filling the condom. 

Frankie pulled out and threw away the condom, then collapsed onto Zach’s chest, both of them now covered in Zach’s cum and unable to speak. Neither of them made any effort to clean themselves off. They held each other as Frankie lifted his head and kissed Zach softly. The kiss lingered as their heartbeats slowed down, tongues exploring mouths as their hands touched cheeks, ears, and hair. The intimacy of the kissing was beautiful and intense. Frankie finally lifted his head and looked into Zach’s eyes. He wiped away a tear that was sliding down the side of Zach’s face toward his ear then kissed each of his eyes.

“Zach you are the love of my life.  I don’t know what I did to deserve another chance with you. But we will make this work. Okay?” 

Zach couldn’t even speak, he was so overcome with emotion. He just nodded and reached out to stroke Frankie’s face and rub his ear.

“Go get a towel to clean us off,” Frankie suggested, “I’m gonna text Nonna and tell her I’ll be home in the morning.” 

Zach smirked and ran to the bathroom to grab a wet cloth. Frankie had just sent the text when he returned. They cleaned each other off then crawled under the sheets. Zach spooned Frankie, running his fingers lightly over his back as they fell into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming next ... time to go public with their relationship to both their families and friends, as well as the public at large. How can Zach make Frankie see that he's not hiding anymore?
> 
> Thanks for all your comments and kudos! Keep 'em coming; they really do motivate me to write! xo


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short (for me anyway) chapter about the morning after. Mostly smut and mush. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept envisioning the next morning, how Zach would feel and react to what had happened the night before. Usually I write much longer chapters, but had to get this out there!!

 

Zach opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling and slowly adjusting to the dark. As he began to come to, all the memories of the night before came flooding back. He frantically looked to his right, afraid that Frankie might’ve snuck off before Zach woke up like last time. But no. Frankie was there, sound asleep, softly lit by the moonlight streaming through the window shade. Zach looked at his phone. It was 5:40 a.m. and still completely dark outside. Daylight savings time had begun recently and it was pitch black in the early mornings when he drove to work.  

But it was Saturday. No work today. Ever since starting the morning radio shift, he had a hard time sleeping late like he used to. But on this day, he was glad to be awake, staring over at Frankie, watching him as he slept. It was astounding that he was still as stunningly gorgeous as the first time Zach had laid eyes on him in the summer of 2014.  

“You are the love of my life.”  

When Frankie uttered those words to him the night before after they made love, it left Zach speechless and overwhelmed. Zach had never been loved the way Frankie loved him. His first instinct was that he didn’t deserve it. But knowing that he felt the exact same way about Frankie made him realize how incredibly lucky they were to have found each other. And then find each other again.  

Zach reached out tentatively, and touched Frankie’s hair, running his fingers through the pink tips. Frankie was lying on his back and the sheet was pushed down so his chest and well-defined V were exposed, leaving him covered only from the groin down. As Zach studied Frankie from head to toe, he was suddenly overcome with desire. He let his hand move down Frankie’s torso, lightly running his fingers over his nipples and then over each of his well defined abs. Frankie stirred but didn't wake.  

Zach moved his mouth over Frankie’s stomach and begin placing small tender light kisses down his stomach, stopping to gently flick his tongue into Frankie’s belly button.  As he moved further down he gently pulled the sheet off, exposing Frankie’s half erect penis. Amazingly Frankie still seemed to be asleep, only stirring slightly.  

Zach moved down and took Frankie’s cock into his mouth engulfing it with his warm breath and exploring tongue. After a moment, Frankie moaned and stretched his legs, slowly realizing what was happening.  

“Oh my GOD, Zach... Oh my God that feels… so good…” Frankie had the sexiest morning voice, turning Zach on even more.  

Frankie wound his fingers into Zach’s unruly hair, still half asleep with his eyes closed, absorbing the sensations. To go from being sound asleep to a semi-awake state with his lover’s mouth over his swollen dick was one of the hottest things he had ever experienced.  

Zach was moving agonizingly slowly, teasing Frankie and taking his time. He cupped Frankie’s balls in his hands, tickling them with his fingertips. As Frankie became full aroused and began pushing his hips toward Zach, Zach licked his index finger, then pushed his hand back under Frankie’s ass and gently ran his finger over his rim, then pushed his finger into Frankie’s hole, curving it toward his prostate. Frankie gasped at the sensation then began pushing back against Zach, fucking his finger then alternately thrusting his cock into Zach's mouth.  Zach couldn’t believe how turned on he was by realizing how much he could excite Frankie. It was the hottest thing he’d ever seen and he was fully aroused.  

In just a few minutes it all became too much. Frankie let out a loud moan as his muscles tightened and he shot his warm liquid down into Zach’s throat. Zach swallowed every drop then moved back up Frankie’s body, lowering his face to Frankie’s and kissing him passionately. Frankie wrapped one hand around Zach’s neck, grasping his hair, as the other hand moved down Zach’s body. As they continued to kiss with urgency and passion, Frankie reached between their bodies and took Zach’s hard cock into his hand stroking him between their bodies.  As they continued to kiss, Zach pushed against Frankie, using the motion of Frankie’s hand and the proximity of their bodies together to gain the friction he needed for release. After just a couple minutes, Zach’s body convulsed, coming hard as Frankie held him through the orgasm.  

Zach’s head collapsed onto Frankie’s chest as they both struggled to catch their breath.  

Finally Frankie broke the silence. “Wow what brought that on? Not that I’m complaining.”  

Zach smirked as he reached down to the floor for a towel to clean them off.  

“Well it’s all your fault really,” Zach teased. “I woke up early and you looked so incredibly hot that I couldn’t keep my hands off of you. Or my mouth.” 

Frankie reached over to rub Zach’s ear, “Well aren’t you the sweetest thing? That was so fucking hot. I’m telling you, I could get used to waking up like that.”  

They lay against each other quietly. Zach’s head was on Frankie’s chest and he could hear the beat of his heart. He felt like he was home.  

“You’re the love of my life too,” Zach said softly.  

“What?” Frankie asked, confused.  

“Last night. When you said I was the love of your life, I was so overwhelmed, I couldn’t speak. That was the most amazing thing anyone has ever said to me. I love you too, Frankie, so much. I know you are the only one for me. For today and for always. I can't believe you actually love me. How did I get so lucky?”  

Frankie pulled Zach’s head up and met his eyes. “I do love you Zach, for today and for always. I promise.”  

He pulled Zach’s face to his and kissed him deeply.  

Finally Zach pulled away and said, “I know you want to get home before Rose wakes up, but do you think we can shower together first?”  

Frankie smiled, “That’s a great idea. Then maybe we can have a cup of coffee before I go.”  

The hot shower felt great as they soaped and shampooed each other.  Frankie pulled Zach under the steaming hot stream of water and kissed him passionately as the water cascaded down their bodies, exploring his mouth with his tongue and pushing up against him.  

Zach moaned as he started to get turned on again, but Frankie pulled away, “Sorry my love, no time for more right now. Hold that thought till next time!”  

“Ugh, you’re killing me Frankie!!” Zach groaned. But he followed Frankie out of the shower as they quickly dried off and got dressed.  

Ten minutes later they were sitting at Zach’s kitchen table with steaming mugs of coffee as the morning light began to filter in.  

“I’m gonna tell my parents and Pizzle when I go to pick up Gus today,” Zach said.  

“Tell them about us?” Frankie asked, surprised.  

“Yeah. I mean, we do have to figure out a way to go public with everyone else - our work colleagues, our friends and the rest of the world, but right now I just want to start with my family. To be honest, I don’t think they will be that surprised, especially my mom.”  

“Okay… are you all right doing it on your own or do you need me to be with you?”  

Zach laughed, “I’m fine Frankie. Like I said, my parents won’t be that surprised. They want me to be happy. And you make me happier than anyone I’ve ever known. Maybe you can talk to Nonna. And then your mom and Ari.”  

Frankie smirked, “Well I’ve already talked to Ari. She’s the one who convinced me to give you another chance! So I’m sure she filled in Nonna and Mommy. But yeah, I will let them know that we’re official.”  

Zach smiled, “Remind me to thank Ari for not telling you to run the other way!”  

As Frankie stood up to leave, they decided that they would come back to Zach’s house after Daddy & Me the next day. They wanted to let Gus and Rose have a play date at Gus’ house and to slowly let them adjust to the idea of their daddies’ relationship. Zach didn’t really know how to explain these things to three year olds, but Frankie seemed to have a grasp on it and would take the lead.  

“Imagine you had started dating a woman,” Frankie explained. “Think about how you would’ve told Gus about it. Our kids are not even four years old yet. They’re too young to have pre-conceived notions about sexuality and who should be dating whom. They’ll accept our relationship however we present it to them. They will mostly be excited that they get to spend more time together! And they will see that we love each other and love them. At the end of the day, that’s what’s most important.”  

Zach walked Frankie to the door, then pulled him into a tight embrace.  

“I love you Frankie James Michael Grande Marchione. I love you today and I’ll love you forever.”  

Frankie kissed Zach gently. “I love you too Zachary Colin Rance. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now. Or maybe I should say the luckiest gay in the world.”  

They laughed then shared one more hug before Frankie walked to his car.  

As Frankie drove away, Zach watched like a lovesick teenager at the doorway, unable to wipe the goofy grin off his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming next - Zach and Frankie share their news with their families, then have another play date together with their kids and talk to them about their relationship. They also begin to discuss how they will "come out" to the rest of the world.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach talks to his family, then Zach and Frankie have a very sweet talk with their kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left sweet comments on this story! Sometimes the messiness of real world Zankie makes it hard to get back to fanfic Zankie. But the encouragement helps!

Zach took advantage of the early morning solitude to do a few things around the house before picking up Gus. He cleaned up all the dishes from dinner the night before, changed the sheets on his bed and did some general cleaning around the house. It completely shocked his mother and close friends that Zach had become a bit of a neat freak. Remembering what his room was like throughout his childhood and even post-college, the transition was pretty astounding. But Zach found that being organized really helped since he dealt daily with a busy career and raising Gus. 

He arrived at the Rance house just before 9:30. As soon as he turned the doorknob, Tiger and Bella came running to greet him. 

His mom called out from the kitchen, “We’re in here. Come have some breakfast.” 

Zach walked into the kitchen and saw his family at the breakfast table.  Gus was sitting with his back to Zach, very focused on his Eggo waffles. Zach snuck up behind him, put his face up to Gus’ ear and softly said “boo,” covering his neck in kisses. Gus shrieked out and giggled in surprise. 

“Daddy, Gwandma made me chocate chip waffuls!” 

Gus looked delighted at getting away with basically having dessert for breakfast. 

“How about you eat some banana slices too, buddy. And drink your milk!” 

Zach took his seat and grabbed a bagel from the platter in the center of the table. Smothering it with cream cheese and a sliced tomato, he answered his mom’s questions about the prior evening with brief vague responses. Yes, the food was great. No he didn’t burn the salmon. Yes they sat outside. Yes they had a nice time. 

Zach changed the subject asking Gus what he did with Uncle Peyton while Grandma and Grandpa were out the night before. Gus gleefully recounted their evening, everything from the yummy “fwied wice” they had for dinner to the games they played and the Disney movie they watched. 

Peyton smiled and added, “Mom and Dad were out for three and a half hours. So that’ll be $45.50. I prefer cash.” 

Zach pulled $46 out of his wallet and tossed it to Peyton, adding, “I threw in a little tip for good measure.” 

Zach helped his mom clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.  He said to her quietly, “I want to talk to you, Dad and Pizzle. Can we have Gus watch one of the _Toy Story_ movies or something?”

Jill looked at Zach a bit puzzled, “Um, yeah of course. How about you get him set up and I’ll let Dad and Peyton know.” 

Gus was completely entranced with Andy, Woody and Buzz Lightyear within the first few minutes of the movie and barely noticed when Zach said he was going into the kitchen to talk to Grandma and Grandpa. 

After refilling his coffee cup, Zach sat down at the table and saw six eyes staring at him with great concern.  He laughed and said, “Lighten up, it’s nothing that serious!!” 

Then he paused, took a deep breath and figured he might as well just dive right in. 

“I want to talk to you about me and Frankie.” 

Jill raised her eyebrows, sat back and crossed her arms. 

“Look, you guys know what we went through in that first year after Big Brother. Pizzle, I know you were young but you kinda understood what was happening at some level.” 

Jill interrupted, “I’m not sure where this is going, but Zachary, you told us that despite your attraction to Frankie back then, you were still straight. And that was that. I mean you dated girls, you married Rachel, had a son…” 

“I know Mom. You’re right. And I still think of myself as straight. Or mostly straight. I don’t know. I mean you know how people throw around the term _no labels_? Well that’s starting to make sense to me. Look here’s the thing. I don’t find myself attracted to men in general. But there is something about Frankie. We haven’t seen each other for almost five years. We completely lost touch and both moved on from whatever it was we had. From Zankie I guess. But… as soon as we saw each other, it wasn’t too long before we couldn’t deny that the attraction, the pull… it just came right back. I mean… I love him.” 

There was a quiet pause. No one really knew what to say. Finally Peyton cleared his throat and said, “Well, I always liked Frankie. Zach, you have always done your own thing, so it doesn’t really surprise me that you’re, um, following your heart I guess. I love you and I don’t really care who you date. But I’m happy to babysit for thirteen bucks an hour whenever you and Frankie want to go out! And for a slight raise, I’ll watch Rose too!” 

Zach laughed and rustled Peyton’s hair, “Thanks bro. You’ll be our number one sitter for sure!” 

He looked at his parents to gauge their reactions. 

Jill looked concerned. “Well… how is this going to work? I mean are you going to move in together, tell the kids, what? It just seems so sudden and I’m worried about Gus and you and…” 

“Mom! Slow down!” Zach laughed. “We have no plans to move in together right now. This is all very new. But we are going to talk to the kids. Gus and Rose absolutely adore each other. Frankie made me realize that at such a young age, they really won’t think anything of it if we explain that we love each other and that we are dating.  Or… I don’t know. I’m gonna let Frankie take the lead because I think he really knows how to explain it to kids. But I think that they will just accept and understand that we love and care about each other. And care about them.” 

Zach looked over at Kevin. “Dad, you’re awfully quiet. What do you think? Do you have any questions?” 

 Kevin took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Well Zach, to be perfectly honest, as your dad it’s a little hard for me to accept that you’re gay – or whatever you want to call it. And it really bothers me that it’s even an issue for me because as a social issue, I have no problem with homosexuality, bisexuality, whatever. It’s just hard when it’s your son, I guess. But, bottom line, your mom and I want you to be happy; you know that. I’m so proud of you and how you’ve handled your life over the past few years. You were dealt some tough cards and yet nothing stopped you from forging a great career and being an incredible dad to Gus. So if Frankie makes you happy, then God bless Frankie!” 

Jill jumped in, “Have you talked about how you’re going to handle it with the public? I mean you have a pretty decent following locally that’s expanding as the radio show goes to more markets. And Frankie is basically a celebrity. With your tie to Big Brother and the memory of Zankie, this could turn into a big tabloid story.” 

“Yeah we both know that it’s something we will have to address. And we are going to figure that out together. But I wanted to tell you guys and my closest friends right away. I’m not going to hide from this or run from it like after Big Brother. As I told Frankie, clearly we weren’t ready to be together back then, it was just too messy. And I wouldn’t trade one single day of the past five years, even with all of the hardship after Rachel left. Because I’ve got Gus. And Frankie has Rose. And we’re both a little older and wiser. And to answer your question Dad, I _am_ happy. I am happier than I think I ever have been. I’m in love with Frankie and I know without a doubt that he loves me. Quite honestly, it’s the first time in my life that I’ve felt this way. It’s a little overwhelming, but shit do I feel lucky.” 

Jill smiled and stood up to walk over to Zach. She leaned down, kissed his cheek and hugged him fiercely around the neck. 

“Zach if you’re happy and Frankie is responsible for that happiness, then you have my blessing and love 100 percent. And Frankie is always welcome in our home, okay? I really did always like him. I was just concerned in that first year about all the attention and scrutiny that Zankie created.  But I can honestly say I’m glad for you that you found each other again and that you’ve both grown in a way that makes your relationship possible.” 

Zach was reminded again that he simply had the best family in the entire world. They were loud and temperamental sometimes, they teased each other relentlessly, and they voiced their disagreements freely, but the Rances were a tight clan who always had each other’s backs no matter what. 

Talk shifted to other lighter topics. Peyton talked about his evening with Gus and commented how exhausting it was to be fully responsible for him for those three plus hours.

Zach snickered, “Yeah welcome to my life bro.” 

They eventually worked their way into the family room and watched the second half of the movie with Gus. When it was over, Zach collected all their gear, and he, Gus and Tiger headed out to the car. Jill walked with them. 

She pulled Zach into a tight hug and said, “I love you Zachary. Thanks for letting us know what’s going on. You know I will always support you.” 

Zach gave her a big kiss on the cheek and said “Thanks, Ma. You’re the absolute best. I love you.” 

 

Zach told Gus that Frankie and Rose were coming over for lunch after Daddy & Me the next day.  Gus was so excited he was almost jumping out of his car seat. They dropped Tiger off at home, then went to the grocery store to buy some food for the lunch as well as groceries for the week. Zach remembered when he had first started shopping for himself and Gus and how overwhelming it was. Now he zipped through the aisles, knowing where everything was. He always brought a list with him so he could avoid as much as possible having to come back during the week. 

As they were walking though the bakery, Gus saw a container of cupcakes and begged Zach to get them for their play date the next day. 

Zach said, “I have a better idea! How about if we make cupcakes today to have for dessert after lunch tomorrow?” 

Gus thought that was a great idea. Zach let him choose the flavor; he picked Funfetti cake mix and frosting.  

Zach figured the baking would kill some time that afternoon, followed by a trip to the neighborhood park, dinner, bath, and bedtime. He loved spending time with Gus, but weekend days could be exhausting! 

After finally getting Gus to bed, Zach settled down in his favorite armchair to read. He still liked to get in a half hour of reading a day.  After a few pages, however, he realized he wasn’t at all focused; his mind kept wandering back to the night before. And that morning.  He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Frankie. 

Zach

_Miss me yet?_

The reply was almost instantaneous.

 

Frankie

 _What do you think? I had the best alarm clock ever this morning. I kinda can’t stop thinking about it…_ (heart eyes emoji)

 

Zach

 _Yeah… that was some of my best work if I do say so myself._ (winky emoji)

 

Frankie

_How was your day? How did it go with your parents?_

Zach

 _It was good. They were a little surprised, but they said that if I’m happy they’re happy. And Jill says you are ALWAYS welcome in their home. Oh and Peyton wants to charge us an arm and a leg to babysit the kids._ (smiley emoji)

 

Frankie

_Aw that’s sweet of your mom. I can’t wait to see them._

Zach

_How was your day?_

Frankie

_Good. I talked to Ari and Mommy, told them what’s going on. They are really happy for us and can’t wait to see you next time they’re in Florida. And I filled Nonna in too, but she pretty much knew what was happening before I did!_

Zach

_I miss you. Wish you were here again tonight._

Frankie

_Same. But we’ll see each other tomorrow. Is Gus excited to have Rose play at his house?_

Zach

_Excited? He basically didn’t stop talking about it all day, including interrupting me a million times during his bedtime story to talk about what he wanted to do. We also made cupcakes, so be ready for a sugar high._

Frankie

_Sounds like fun. Can’t wait to see you babe._

Zach

_Same. I love you Frankie._

Frankie

_I love you too, you froot loop dingus._

Zach

_Hey wait a sec! Froot loop dingus is MY thing. In fact I think I have it trademarked…_

Frankie

 _Well you can punish me next time we’re alone._ (winky emoji) _Good night my love._

Zach

 _Count on it._ (winky emoji)  _Sweet dreams!_  (pink heart, blue heart emojis) 

 

Frankie and Rose pulled into the parking lot of the gymnasium at 10:55. They were actually early for class; this was a first. Only a few of the other dads and kids had arrived.  Frankie chatted with David for a few minutes as Rose wandered off to the tunnel. 

A couple minutes later, he heard Rose yell happily, “GUS!!!” 

She rushed to the front door and gave Gus a big hug, pulling him away from Zach. 

“Well, hello Rose,” Zach said as Rose dragged Gus away. Frankie smirked at the mock Marilyn voice that he used, as Zach looked over at him and winked. 

As always, Zach took Frankie’s breath away. He was wearing dark blue shorts and a fitted white v-neck, showing off his tan and his amazing biceps.  There was something about this man – rugged and messy, but utterly perfect.  Frankie walked over to meet him and pulled him into a big hug, not really caring what people thought. They held onto each other for a few seconds longer than “bros” would normally hug, causing David to glance at Paul with raised eyebrows. David remembered Zankie from Big Brother 16. He had filled in Paul and Steven when they were in the car together before the big dads’ night out.  On the drive home, the three of them all commented that they definitely noticed a spark between Zach and Frankie at the club that night and wondered if the infamous Zankie showmance/romance was rekindling. This hug they were witnessing made David think they were definitely on the right track.

  

After the class ended, Frankie and Rose followed Zach and Gus to their house.  Gus was very excited and proud to have Rose at _his_ house, since they had already played at her house. When they opened the door Tiger was right there to greet them. Rose was a little nervous at first. Her Nonna’s dog, Noel was much smaller than Tiger. But Tiger was a gentle giant and he stood very still with his tail wagging as Gus hugged him around his neck.  Rose reached out tentatively and patted his head; she was rewarded with a sloppy doggie kiss on her wrist which made her giggle. 

They immediately ran to Gus’ room to start playing. Zach and Frankie made their way to the kitchen. As soon as he was sure that the kids were out of sight, Frankie pushed Zach up against the refrigerator, holding his arms down and crashing his lips onto Zach's. Frankie pressed his crotch into Zach’s, eliciting a low moan from Zach as they both became immediately aroused.  Frankie pulled back, and smiled seductively at a very shocked Zach. 

“Holy shit, what was that?” Zach asked as he touched his now swollen lips. 

“I have been wanting to do that ever since you walked into the gym this morning. Zach, do you realize how hot you are? I had to physically restrain myself from pushing you into the ball pit and blowing you right there under all those germy plastic balls!” 

“Oh staaahhpp,” Zach said giggling, 

Frankie moved in for a gentle kiss and said, “I will never stop telling you how hot you are. The first time I saw you in the Big Brother house, I knew I was in trouble.” 

Zach laughed, “Well same here. Don’t forget, I was so lost in my attraction to you that I actually said out loud to Cody that I wanted to fuck you. I mean talk about showing my cards – oops!” 

Zach started pulling out the items he had for lunch. He had made a Caesar salad to which he planned to add grilled chicken for him and Frankie. He had a variety of meats and spreads to make sandwiches for the kids.  Frankie said that Rose would like turkey, the same as Gus.  So while Zach prepared the salad, Frankie made two turkey sandwiches. They pulled out some fruit, pita chips, and sliced carrots then called the kids in.  They all took their lunches outside to the backyard table. As expected the kids ate their sandwiches in about 3 minutes and were off and playing. They stayed in the backyard for a little while, riding tricycles and throwing the balls around. Then they got too warm and went back into Gus’ room. 

Zach and Frankie cleared all the dishes and cleaned up from lunch. They sat down on the sofa, holding hands and talking about how they would talk to the kids. Zach told Frankie that he was going to let him take the lead.  Frankie smiled and leaned in to give Zach a gentle kiss.  Zach wrapped his hand around Frankie’s neck and pulled him back for a deeper kiss, probing his mouth with his tongue as Frankie ran his hands through Zach’s hair. 

They were totally lost in the kiss and therefore completely shocked when they heard Rose saying, “Papa, why are you kissing Gus’ daddy?” 

Zach and Frankie jumped apart and looked guiltily to see both of their children standing in front of them looking completely puzzled. Gus looked a little scared, like he might cry. 

Zach immediately jumped into daddy-mode, reaching out for Gus and pulling him onto his lap and hugging him close. 

“Hey buddy, it’s okay. There’s nothing to be scared or sad about.” 

Rose crawled onto Frankie’s lap and buried her head in his chest. She appeared to be more upset by the fact that Gus was close to crying than she was about the kiss. 

Frankie cleared his throat and started to talk. 

“Hey guys, we wanted to talk to you about this anyway. You know that Zach and I have known each other for lots and lots of years, right? We knew each other before either of you was even born. But we lost touch and hadn’t talked for almost five years before seeing each other at the Daddy & Me class.  Well… when we did see each other and started to spend some time together, we remembered something kind of important. We love each other! And when two grown ups love each other like we do, sometimes they like to be all lovey dovey and hold hands and kiss and stuff. Isn’t that silly?” 

Rose peeked over at Gus and let out a little giggle. He followed her lead and giggled too. 

Rose asked, “Do grown up boys sometimes kiss grown up girls too?” 

Frankie smiled, “Yep. Sometimes boys like to kiss girls. Sometimes boys like to kiss boys. And sometimes girls like to kiss girls.” 

Zach felt ready to jump in. “You know what the really cool part about this is? Since Frankie and I love each other and like spending time together, it means that you two will get to spend lots of lots of time together too! How does that sound?” 

“Good!” Rose shrieked. 

“Good!” Gus repeated. 

Then they both giggled. 

But Gus face got serious again. He looked up at Zach and then whispered loudly in his ear, “If you love Fwankie, can you still love me?” 

Zach looked over at Frankie who had heard Gus’ question and mouthed “oh my God…” 

Zach pulled Gus into a big hug and said, “Gus the Bus, you know that I love you more than anything in the world and nothing ever _ever_ will change that.” 

Frankie piped in, “You know what the cool thing about love is?  You can love lots and lots of people and never run out of love. It just grows. Gus, do you love your grandparents and your Uncle Peyton?” 

Gus nodded. 

“How about Tiger?” 

Gus nodded again. 

“Rose, do you love Nonna, Grandma and Aunt Ari?” 

Rose yelped “YES!”

 And Noel?” 

“Yep, and Becky too!” 

“That’s right! See how that works? And you will love lots and lots of people in your life. The more people you love and that love you back, the luckier you are!” 

Gus said with a smile, “Well then I guess we awe pwetty lucky!!” 

Zach was bursting with so much love and happiness that he felt like he was in the middle of some silly rom com instead of his actual life. Like a new version of _Pretty Woman_ where the sophisticated Broadway dancer, worldwide celebrity sweeps the unrefined somewhat crude frat boy off his feet. And they live happily ever after. 

Zach said, “Hey, who’s ready for a cupcake?” 

Both kids started jumping up and down as Zach led them to the kitchen.  He had decided to let the kids frost the cupcakes themselves, so they each took a seat at the kitchen table.  Zach gave them each a cupcake and a small butter knife.  They made a complete mess and ended up with as much frosting on their faces and hands as was on the cupcakes. 

Frankie took some cute pictures of the two of them, then suggested they do a selfie with all four of them together. 

Zach said, “Hey, why don’t you post that on Instagram?” 

Frankie looked surprised, “Are you sure?” 

“Sure I’m sure, “ Zach said. “Let the rumors fly. We don’t have to confirm or deny anything till we’re ready. 

So Frankie uploaded the picture with the caption: 

 _Sweet times with @ranceypants and our two perfect children. #ZankieTheNextChapter_  

“Oh boy here we go,” Zach grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As news of Zankie starts to spread, Zach is surprised with some unwelcome news.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach and Frankie prepare to make their relationship public. After their big announcement, Zach receives some shocking news.
> 
> (Smut alert in the middle, just to keep things interesting!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone's patience. I was traveling last week plus feeling a bit discouraged with all that went on with Zankie last week. But this is fiction AND it takes place 5 years in the future. During which time people can change. So I found the motivation to get back to it!
> 
> Thanks for all the support - I hope you all enjoy this VERY long chapter!!

Frankie

_Well… that might’ve not been the best idea._

Zach

_What?_

Frankie

_Have you checked Insta tonight?_

Zach

_Oh no, actually I completely forgot. Hang on._

Zach opened Instagram on his phone and went to Frankie’s page. He clicked on the photo from earlier that afternoon and was shocked to see that the photo already had over 55,000 likes and more than 2,500 comments. It was just before 10pm. They had posted the picture about six hours earlier.

 

Zach

_Well… I guess the Zankie fans never actually went away did they? Holy shit!_

Frankie

_Zach, we have to figure out how to manage this. I mean you could be hit with Zankie questions as soon as tomorrow morning on your radio show._

Zach

_Shit, you are so right! Well, we always have a staff meeting before the show. I will see what if anything they know and make sure it’s not a topic of conversation. And I’ll do the show without any listener questions. But I do have an idea… can I call you right now or is it too late?_

Frankie

_Of course you can call, my love._

Frankie’s phone buzzed a moment later.

“Well hello Daddy; what are you wearing?” he said in a low sexy voice.

“Frankie, don’t this to me! I’m already horny enough and you’re too far away.”

“Same. We will have to remedy that soon. Okay so what’s your idea?”

Zach began, “Well, I have a pretty amazing forum in my radio show. We are now in over 15 markets throughout the southeast. Plus the show can be accessed online through iHeart Radio so anyone can listen. I’m thinking maybe I can bring you on as a guest and we can figure out a way to sort of reveal it right there. What do you think?”

Frankie was excited.  “That’s a great idea!! We can figure out the specifics. But once we announce it to whatever degree we desire, what would you think about taking it to a more national level?”

“What do you mean?” Zach asked.

“Well, you remember Katie Krause right?”

“Of course I do,” Zach answered. “Entertainment Tonight, and she was Zankie as fuck!”

“Yep, and now she’s one of the co-anchors of ET. She and I are still friends and I bet she would love to cover our story and would do it in a way that is sensitive and in good taste. I can have my publicist coordinate with her. And yours too if you want.”

Zach let out a deep breath. “That’s a great idea. But this is intense. It’s sort of hitting me that we are going to put it out there that we are together and I am basically telling the world that apparently I’m not straight. That’s a lot to digest.”

“I know, you’re right,” Frankie sympathized. “And we need to spend some time figuring out how to do it. But we also need to move fast because that Instagram picture has clearly got people talking… Are you free for lunch tomorrow?”

“Um, sure,” Zach answered. “I can meet around 1:00 or so. Where do you want to go?”

“What do you think? Mac’s of course! Gotta see my girl Allison!

Zach laughed, “Okay see you tomorrow at one. I love you Frankie.”

“I love you too babe. Sweet dreams.”

Zach got into bed and tried to fall asleep but he was tossing and turning, his mind racing. He suddenly realized that there was a good chance some of his friends might see the Instagram picture and start asking questions. 

Unable to fall asleep, Zach pulled out his laptop and opened his email.  He composed a group email to as many of his old friends as he could think of: Erik, AJ, Logan, Josh, Tanner, Lindsay and a bunch of others. He took a deep breath and then just went for it:

 

_Hi Everyone,_

_I know this email may be out of the blue but I need to fill you all in about something. Please - don’t worry, I’m fine and Gus is great! This is not bad or scary news, just … well, just news._

_So… blast from the past.  You all remember Frankie Grande from Big Brother, right? And Zankie? Yeah, you all lived through that crazy-ass year with me.  Some of you were a little more aware of what went on than others, but suffice it to say that Frankie and I had our ups and downs. You know I’ve always identified as straight and only dated girls. But, yes, Frankie and I had a genuine connection in the Big Brother house and we went through a bit of, I guess, experimentation with our relationship after the summer ended. In the end it didn’t work out, we went our separate ways, and completely lost touch._

_So fast-forward to a few weeks ago. Gus and I started a Sunday morning Daddy & Me class for single dads, and who showed up, but Frankie & his adopted daughter Rose. I kid you not. It was the small world of all small world stories. He recently relocated back to Florida and is running a dance school._

_So anyway, here’s the part you’re waiting for. I don’t really know how to ease in to this so I’m just gonna say it: Frankie and I are seeing each other. Yes I’m serious. No this is not an elaborate joke. Actually I am very much in love with him and am pretty shocked that he feels the same way about me.  Am I gay? Well, I don’t identify as gay to be honest. But I’m very much attracted to and in love with Frankie. That’s all I know._

_We have spent a lot of time together both with our kids and alone. Earlier today Frankie posted a picture of the four of us on Instagram and it has generated a lot of reaction. We will be going public with all of this very soon so I wanted you all to know in case you got wind of this IG picture._

_Anyway, I promise to talk to you all individually in the near future but this will be coming out (no pun intended lol) very soon in some sort of public way since Frankie is pretty much a celebrity and I have my own little local following. Plus apparently there are still a bunch of ZankieAF fans – who knew?_

_So that’s it – for now please just keep this to yourselves. I’m probably going to have Frankie on the radio show for our first “announcement,” this week then we might do something on a more national level. I will keep you posted._

_I am extremely happy and feeling very blessed right now.  And I wanted all of you to know._

_Love you all and peace out!_

_Zach_

 

Zach read over the email then hit send. He forwarded a copy of the email to Frankie with a quick note telling him he had sent it to his close friends.

This time when Zach lay down to sleep he felt much more relaxed with everything that was happening and fell into a peaceful sleep. 

 

Zach was running late for his lunch with Frankie. He sent Frankie a quick text saying he’d be there by 1:10 then gathered all of his stuff and ran out to his car.

It had been a crazy day.  When he walked into the staff meeting before the show, Emily was whispering to their producer Dave while a couple others listened in; they all stopped talking and looked guiltily at the door as he walked in.

Zach smirked, “So… did you check Instagram today by any chance?”

There was an awkward pause till Emily said, “Okay Zach, what the fuck is going on?”

Zach took a deep breath, “Well, you’re probably expecting me to tell you that it’s not what it looks like. But the fact is… it’s exactly what it looks like!”

Zach gave them a quick overview of what was happening then explained that he and Frankie were in the process of figuring out how to go public with the story but in the mean time he didn’t want to talk about it at all on today’s radio show, including not taking any listener phone calls during the show. Emily leaned over to Zach and gave him a big hug.

“I am SO happy for you Zach. I never told you this, but I was a huge Zankie fan during Big Brother 16. You knew I was a fan of the show, but I never let on about my Zankie obsession. I was afraid you’d fire me!”

The rest of the staff was equally happy for Zach and they worked with him to make sure that the show avoided the topic altogether. They also told Zach that since they were already aware of the Instagram picture, he’d better get Frankie on the show as soon as possible. Zach texted Frankie and asked if he would be available the next day at 10:00. Frankie said he would get a sub to teach his morning class and work it out.

At the very end of the show, Zach teased that tomorrow would be a huge day with a very special guest and a big announcement. Then he signed off.

“Well, that ought to get tongues wagging,” Dave commented. 

Zach shrugged. He was ready, come hell or high water.

 

Zach walked into Mac’s exactly at 1:10 and saw Frankie at “their” booth entertaining Allison who was cracking up at whatever Frankie was saying.  Frankie’s back was to Zach and as he approached the table, he could hear Frankie in full Rhinestone mode going on about a girl’s “pretty bits in her tiddlywinks.”

Zach snuck up behind Frankie and gently bit his ear then kissed his neck, right where Frankie was most sensitive.

Frankie let out a squeal and reached behind him to hold Zach’s head close as he turned toward Zach and captured his lips in a kiss.

Zach looked over at Allison who had a shit-eating grin on her face.

“So, you have some news for us Zach?”

Zach just smiled and said, “Tune into my show tomorrow at 10!!”

Allison smiled and gave Zach & Frankie each a high five, then took their order, leaving them alone to talk. 

“So how did it go with your crew this morning?” Frankie asked.

Zach filled him in, “Well they all gave me a knowing look as soon as I walked into staff meeting so I knew they’d seen the Insta picture. They were really great about it. Emily said she was always Zankie as fuck but never wanted to tell me!”

Frankie laughed, “Well I can’t wait to meet her. Which I guess will be tomorrow. Are you okay with doing it so soon?”

“Absolutely,” Zach replied, “Once I realized they all knew plus with all those likes and comments on the picture, there was really no choice. We didn’t take any listener calls today, but I can’t do that for much longer.” 

“Okay,” Frankie agreed. “I’m totally game, you know that. I think this will be a little more overwhelming for you than for me to be honest.”

“Look, as long as I have you by my side, I’ll be fine,” Zach assured him, taking Frankie’s hand into his and interlacing their fingers.

As they ate their lunch, they talked about how they would handle the interview. Frankie said he had called Katie Krause’s office that morning and expected to hear back from her by the end of the day. So hopefully they could set that interview up for later in the week. They were both a little nervous but mostly very excited.

As they paid the bill, Frankie asked Zach what he was doing for the next couple hours. Zach said he didn’t have to go back to the office. He had planned on going to the gym and maybe doing some errands before going home.

Frankie said that he had cleared his calendar for the rest of the day and that he had a surprise.

“It’s not the gym, but I promise a workout,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Zach stood up quickly, “Lead the way!”

 

Frankie had Zach drive with him, promising to drop him back at his car later.  They drove through the town, pulling into the parking lot of a Residence Inn.

Zach looked at Frankie like he was nuts, “You’re gonna get a hotel room for just a couple hours?”

“Nope.” Frankie answered.

Zach gave Frankie a confused look, unclear as to what the plan was.  Frankie smirked and reached into his pocket, pulling out a card key and waving it in front of his face.

“Already took care of it. Room 542 awaits you my love.”

“You already got the room?” Zach asked bewildered. “What if I said no?”

“Ha, that was a risk I was willing to take. And let’s face it; I was pretty sure you’d find a way to say yes! Shall we?”

They walked into the hotel lobby, and Frankie led Zach to the elevator bank.  They had to wait a few minutes for an elevator to reach the ground floor so by the time it arrived, there were seven other people ready to pile in. Zach and Frankie got in first. Zach stood against the back wall of the elevator and Frankie stood right in front of him. The elevator was jam-packed.  As the door shut, Zach felt Frankie push his ass back onto Zach’s crotch, moving back and forth ever so slightly. Zach bit down on his tongue so as not to gasp or moan as he immediately felt his cock spring to attention.

Frankie’s face was emotionless and he continued to look straight ahead as his ass tantalizingly rubbed against Zach. A couple people got off on the second floor, then one more on the third. At this point it was just Zach and Frankie with a family of four.  The family exited on the 4th floor.  As soon as the door shut, Frankie hit the emergency stop button. He pushed Zach against the wall and crashed his lips onto Zach’s, forcing his tongue into Zach’s mouth as he reached down Zach’s pants and wrapped his hands around his warm swollen dick, stroking him and caressing his balls. Zach grabbed Frankie’s ass cheeks and pulled him as close as he could. He was so incredibly turned on, he felt like he was about to come right there in his pants like a 13-year old boy. 

But as quickly as it started, Frankie suddenly pulled away. He turned back to the elevator panel and flipped the switch back on. He calmly said that there were probably other guests waiting for the elevator. Zach stood there stunned and breathless, with his lips swollen and his dick painfully hard.

As the elevator door opened on the fifth floor, Frankie smoothed his hair, smiled at Zach and ushered him out, “After you my love.” 

Zach just shook his head, relieved that his legs even worked.

“You are such a fucking tease, Frankie Grande.”

Frankie inserted the card into the key slot and they entered the room. The moment the door clicked shut, Zach picked up Frankie like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder and carried him over to the bed.

“Frankie, I swear to God, you will pay for almost making me come in my pants in an elevator full of people. And not just people but impressionable children. Do you know what it took for me to not moan or rock into your ass?”

Before Frankie could even respond, Zach covered his mouth with his and kissed him passionately, holding down his arms so Frankie couldn’t even move. Zach pulled away and yanked off Frankie’s shirt then his own. 

“I want you to hold onto the bars on the headboard with your hands and don’t let go,” Zach ordered. “I don’t have any rope or handcuffs but I’m in charge and you are not to use your hands, do you understand?”

Frankie just nodded his head. He had never seen Zach like this, taking over and dominant. If he was being honest, it was a total turn on.

Frankie held onto the headboard and Zach began to move down his body, kissing his neck and nibbling on his ear. He stopped at the most sensitive spot on his neck biting down and sucking hard, leaving a mark as Frankie arched his neck up and moaned. Zach moved down his chest, taking  each nipple into his mouth, teasing them with his tongue and biting down gently with his teeth, causing Frankie to moan and grasp the headboard harder as his body flinched. They were still fully dressed from the waist down and yet Frankie felt like he was about to split the zipper on his jeans, he was so hard.

As Zach got to the waistband of Frankie’s jeans, he slowly unbuttoned and unzipped them, separating the zipper just enough to place his mouth over Frankie’s package and blow his warm breath onto him through his tight pink underwear.

By this time Frankie was thrusting his crotch toward Zach’s mouth, using all his willpower not to let go of the headboard to run his hands through Zach’s hair and push his head closer to his dick. Zach finally took Frankie’s pants and underwear off, discarding them to the side of the bed. He stood up and moved close to Frankie, making a show of taking off his own pants and boxer briefs, stroking his dick, bringing it within reach of Frankie’s useless hand as Frankie looked on hungrily.

“No touching, Frankie, you can only look,” Zach teased as he danced his cock just outside of the reach of Frankie’s mouth.

Finally Zach climbed back on the bed and brought his head down to Frankie’s now dripping cock. He continued to tease Frankie, just licking the precum off the head of his cock and using only the tip of his tongue to lick up and down his shaft like it was a delicious popsicle, then circling lazily over the sensitive head of his dick.

Frankie was in blissful agony. It felt so amazing and yet he needed Zach to take his whole cock into his mouth. The teasing was almost more than he could bear.

“Please Zach. Please! I… Please. I need your mouth. Oh God!”

Finally Zach took pity on him and engulfed his entire cock with his mouth moving up and down the shaft as Frankie moaned in pleasure. Frankie grasped onto the headboard, resisting the urge to grab Zach’s head and push it down even harder onto his cock. The sensation of having no control and turning it all over to Zach was overwhelming. As much as he tried to hold it in, it was only a few minutes before Frankie came into Zach’s mouth, his orgasm shuddering throughout his whole body as he continued to hang onto the headboard.  

Zach crawled up his body and kissed Frankie deeply, Frankie tasting himself in Zach’s kiss. 

Zach whispered, “Did you bring condoms and lube? I’m gonna fuck you into this mattress.”

Frankie directed his glance to the bedside table where he had put the items when he first checked into the hotel.

“Can I let go of the headboard now?” Frankie asked quietly as Zach popped open the cap of the lube.

Zach smirked and consented. “But stay on your back. I want to look at you when I fuck you.”

Frankie let go of the headboard and reached up and pulled Zach’s head down toward him, bringing their lips together and tangling his fingers in Zach’s luscious hair, kissing him passionately.

“That was so hot Zach. I didn’t know you had that in you. But. Wow. I don’t even know what to say. You are so fucking sexy.” Frankie whispered as he reached down and caressed Zach’s rock hard dick.

Zach rocked up and down in Frankie’s hand, enjoying the sensation of having his scalp massaged with one hand and his dick caressed with the other. Finally he moved back and pulled Frankie’s legs over his shoulders as he lubed up his fingers and teased Frankie’s rim.

Zach could see Frankie’s cock twitching again as he began to move against Zach’s hand.  Zach inserted the first finger and Frankie moaned in pleasure. He moved the finger around, stretching Frankie out and teasing his prostate.  A few moments later he inserted the second and then third finger. Frankie hissed as the third finger went in but within a few seconds was pushing back against Zach’s hand. Even after having just had a mind-blowing orgasm, Frankie was hard again already.

Seeing Frankie come apart beneath him yet again and knowing that he was the one bringing Frankie so much pleasure was almost too much for Zach. He rolled the condom on, lined up with Frankie’s hole then pushed himself in, moaning loudly at the tightness and warmth of Frankie’s ass. He stayed motionless until Frankie could adjust to him then began to rock his hips against Frankie’s ass thrusting his dick, closing his eyes and losing himself in the moment.

Frankie looked up at Zach, watching him lost in his own pleasure.  It was hard for him to believe how far they had come in just a few weeks. He had never felt so strongly about any man ever. If Frankie hadn’t believed in soul mates before, he certainly did at that moment. He grabbed Zach’s hand, bringing it down to his own dick as he closed his eyes and let his second orgasm wash over his body.  Two thrusts later and Zach let out a loud groan as he filled the condom and collapsed on top of Frankie. 

They lay quietly for a few moments as they both caught their breath and came back down to earth. Zach lifted his head and kissed Frankie softly, exploring his mouth with his tongue and caressing his face and head. They stayed like that for a few minutes, sharing intimate kisses and caresses and whispering silly romantic things to each other.

Finally Frankie said they should probably take a quick shower and head back so they could both get home in time to not piss off their nannies.

“Thanks for this incredible afternoon delight, Frankie,” Zach said. “I did not expect that when I woke up this morning.”

Frankie smiled, “Well it might be a little tricky for us to find time alone together, so this seemed like a good idea. Thanks for indulging me. By the way, I’ve always had a thing for elevators. Just so you know.”

Zach laughed, “Yeah? Well that was pretty hot even though I was afraid I was going to give those kids a close up lesson in the birds and the bees that they’d never forget!”

They got showered and out of the hotel room. Frankie dropped Zach back at his car and they went their separate ways.

 

The first hour and a half of Zach’s radio show the next day was pretty standard stuff. They talked about some current events, local sports stories, and the heat wave expected in the next few days. Emily talked about her 10 year high school reunion which she had attended the weekend before, and gave a gleeful run down of the class heartthrob football player who was already bald and weighed about 250 pounds and the nerdy computer geek who had sold his start-up interactive job search app for a cool three billion dollars.

Finally after the commercial break at 9:40, Zach began teasing the special guest who would be joining them at the top of the hour. Frankie had already arrived. Zach could see him outside the studio talking to the receptionist. The radio show played on speakers in the reception area, so Zach knew Frankie could hear what he was saying.

“So, yesterday at the end of the show I announced that I would be having a special guest and a surprise announcement at 10:00 today. As a lot of you know, I was on the CBS show Big Brother back in 2014. It was Big Brother 16 and I was sort of a big deal that summer, all modesty aside. I became known for my outrageous Zach Attack moments where I would lose it with other houseguests or do something completely nonsensical and impulsive. But more than that, I think what I was most known for was being one half of the infamous showmance Zankie.  Zankie was the portmanteau of Zach and Frankie, as in Frankie Grande, Broadway star, singer, dancer and also by the way older brother of pop star Ariana Grande.”

“This so-called showmance was a big deal because Frankie is an openly gay man and I am straight. But we had a very intense connection and because there were cameras on us 24-7, viewers saw many hours of us cuddling and having intense intimate conversations. Frankie joked a lot about having a thing for me and seeing me as his future husband and so on. I said a lot of things like “gee too bad I’m not gay, right?” and other leading comments. But neither of us could deny that we had a very special connection.”

“So anyway,” Zach continued, “as these things go, after the show ended we had a bit of a tumultuous year. There were a lot of fans that fervently believed Zankie was a real thing and would stop at nothing to almost force the relationship. That public pressure combined with our very different lives and our geographical distance ended up being too much. Eventually we just sort of lost touch. Which was very sad because, beyond all the Zankie ‘are they aren’t they’ speculation, we had a fantastic friendship. So in one of the more amazing small world moments of my life, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, Frankie and his adopted daughter Rose ended up in a Daddy & Me class with me and Gus here in South Florida. I am so happy to have this great guy back in my life and I am happy to say that he’s here today and will join me right after the break!”

As the commercial ran, Frankie came into the studio and gave Zach a big hug. He met the crew, then Dave got him set up with his headphones and mic.  He glanced over at Zach and winked as Zach took a deep breath, ready to dive in.

The next segment was a bit of a blur. Zach interviewed Frankie as a guest, asking him about his life, what he’d been doing since Big Brother, and how he ended up as a single dad living in Florida. It was an amazing story and with Frankie’s gift of gab and incredible sense of humor, he had the entire studio, not to mention listening audience, in the palm of his hand.

As they went to commercial break, Zach invited people to call in, but said he’d be making the promised big announcement before taking calls.

During the break, Frankie took off his headphones and walked over to Zach, pulling him into a hug. 

“You ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Frankie, you are by FAR the best guest I’ve ever had on the show. It’s like I’m back in that damn Burbank studio house. I could listen to you all day!”

Frankie laughed, “You always were my best audience. I love you Zach. And this radio show is amazing. You are an incredible interviewer, by the way. You have definitely found your niche and I’m super proud of you!” 

The commercial was wrapping up so Frankie dashed back to his seat. 

Zach welcomed them back then said that before they started taking calls, he wanted to make an announcement.

“So as I said earlier, Frankie and I were famously known as Zankie during the summer of 2014.  We were a unique pair because even though Frankie is gay and I’m straight, we had an undeniable attraction to one another. I didn’t really get it from my standpoint because I had only ever dated girls. And Frankie, you had been down the road with straight boys before and had promised yourself that you wouldn’t do it again right?

“Yep,” Frankie replied. “I had a long term relationship with a man who identified as straight and it just ended up making me feel like crap about myself. He never wanted to be seen in public together and we had to keep it a secret from everyone in his life. After the relationship ended, I swore never again. But then I met you and I kinda fell hard and fast. I joked around about it a lot but I really did have sincere feelings for you. In fact there was one moment on the live feeds where the cameras caught me as I was walking away from you whispering repeatedly under my breath, “I’m kinda in love with him, I’m kinda in love with him.” I mean… I had it bad. And I kept chastising myself because I knew it couldn’t end well but you know, the heart wants what it wants.”

Zach laughed, “So anyway, we got out of the house and had NO idea what a phenomenon Zankie had become. We had a huge group of fans that shipped us to the moon and back.  I could go on forever about what that year was like, but without going into detail, suffice it to say that the real world was harsh and we had a lot of ups and downs in our relationship. Ultimately we sort of drifted apart and sadly completely lost touch about a year after the show ended.”

“So fast forward to our reconnecting here in Florida and rekindling our friendship. Our kids Gus and Rose are best friends and we have been able to spend a lot of time together. So, um, well… here’s the announcement I guess.”

Zach looked over at Frankie with a bit of fear in his eyes.  Frankie winked at him and mouthed, “I love you.” 

“Well,” Zach continued, “you all know that I have always identified as straight. In fact I was married and have a son. I have only dated women my whole life. But as I described I had a life-changing connection with Frankie in the Big Brother house that frankly shook the foundation of who I always thought I was. At the time, I really wasn’t ready to deal with it and for that and other reasons, Frankie and I went our separate ways. But now, five years later, what I’ve realized is that while I still think of myself as straight… or I guess mostly straight, the fact is that I am undeniably and completely attracted to and in love with Frankie. And I am so lucky because for some crazy reason he feels the same way about me. So I guess the announcement is that Zankie is real, Frankie and I are together, and NO, this is not a joke. This is for real. And probably the scariest thing I’ve ever had to say in public!”

Frankie laughed and added, “It’s true. Zach and I are very much together and feeling very fortunate to have reconnected. We could probably do an entire week of shows on sexuality and labels and the Kinsey scale and all of that, but the bottom line is that it doesn’t really matter. We are two human beings who have fallen in love. And that’s really all people need to know.”

Zach interrupted, “As many of you know I am Jewish. There’s a Yiddish word some of you may be familiar with, bashert. It means fate or destiny. And many times it is used in the context when a person meets their spouse or soul mate in a way that seems to be destined. I think it’s the perfect word to describe my relationship with Frankie. It was bashert that we were randomly put into the Big Brother house together in 2014 and certainly it is bashert that brought us back together five years later. So bottom line, we are two very lucky guys.

Zach and Frankie were staring at each other and smiling as if no one else was in the room. Fearing dead air, Emily quickly jumped in.

“Okay, well Zach, what do you say we take some listener calls. I’m guessing there are a lot of people with a lot of questions.”

 

The following week was a blur.  Katie Krause flew to Florida and conducted an interview with Frankie and Zach the day after their radio show. It was the lead story on Entertainment Tonight and soon hundreds of media outlets picked up on the news. Zach and Frankie were taking calls from friends and family as well as other celebrities, publications and so on. Most of the feedback was positive and supportive. Of course there were haters who called Frankie a sellout and Zach a queer baiter. Among other things. But Frankie had taught Zach to ignore the hate, and  reminded him of his mantra, that “when people throw shade, shine brighter.” It was sometimes easier said than done, but all in all they were both taking the publicity in stride.

Two weeks after the announcement, things had died down and life had more or less returned to normal.  Zach arrived at the radio studio bright and early on a Wednesday morning. As he was about to walk in the front door, a man suddenly approached him.

“Zach Rance?” he asked.

“Yes I’m Zach.” Zach assumed it was a reporter wanting to ask him about Zankie, so he was shocked when the man suddenly shoved an envelope into his hands.

“You’ve been served.”

Zach was confused and shocked. Served? For what? Zach hadn’t been in any accidents or potentially legal or liable situations. He had no idea what this was about.

He walked into his office and opened the envelope, pulling out a stack of papers.  As he began to read, his eyes opened wide and his face began to turn red with anger and disbelief.

‘THAT FUCKING BITCH!” he screamed.

Emily came running into his office.

“Zach, what’s the matter?”

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes, a mixture of fury and fear on his face.

“It’s my ex-wife Rachel. She’s coming after me for custody of Gus. She’s claiming that he’s being raised in an immoral environment and should be with his mother. Emily, what am I gonna do? I can’t lose Gus. I can’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming next how will Zach deal with the return of Rachel???
> 
> Thanks for all of your lovely comments and kudos! I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the story - I am really enjoying writing it too!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mommy dearest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter posted! Real life has been very hectic. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the kudos and kind comments!

Emily closed the door to Zach’s office and walked over to give him a hug and try to calm him down.

“Oh my God, Zach. I’m so sorry. But it’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry. Didn’t you tell me she gave up her parental rights? She can’t come waltzing in here three years later and think she has a case. I mean seriously!”

Zach sat back in his chair, running his hands through his hair.

“I have to call AJ. He’s a great lawyer. Hopefully he’ll have some good advice.”

“Why don’t you call Frankie first?” Emily suggested.

“NO.” Zach said defiantly, shocking Emily into silence. “I don’t want Frankie to even know about this. It’s so degrading. Frankie is the greatest person I know and for someone I actually _married_ to imply that our relationship is _immoral_ … well if I had my choice he would never _ever_ know about it.” 

Emily bit her tongue. She was certain that Frankie would be a pillar of strength for Zach right now but it was his choice.

Zach shot off a quick text to AJ saying it was urgent that they talk right after his show. AJ replied that he would be around and Zach should call him at 11:30.  Somehow Zach got through the show even though he felt like he was on autopilot. Thankfully Emily picked up the slack and kept the show moving at its normal pace.

After the show ended, Zach went into his office closing the door behind him.  It was only 11:10, too early to call AJ. He picked up his phone and dialed his mom at work.

“Jill Rance, how can I help you?”

“Hi Mom.”

“Zach, hi honey. What’s wrong?” Jill knew her son well and when something was bothering him, she could hear it in his voice within the first couple words.

“Um,” Zach replied, “Do you have a minute?”

“Of course, what is it?” Jill answered, standing up to close her office door. 

“Well, this morning on the way into work, I got served.”

“Served? For what? Did you get into some sort of legal tangle that you didn’t tell me about?” 

“No, Mom, I wish it was something that simple. You won’t believe this but Rachel is suing me for custody of Gus. She’s claiming that Gus is being raised in an immoral environment. Apparently all the Zankie publicity made its way to Arizona.”

“Rachel?” You have to be kidding me! What a little BITCH!”

Even in his distress, Zach had to smile at that response. His mom was a tough broad. especially if someone tried to mess with her family.

Jill was furious. No one knew the level of pain Rachel caused as much as she did. Jill had devoted her life to Zach and Gus during those first couple months, making sure that her son had all the support necessary to be a single parent.  As a mom, Jill could never understand how a woman could just walk away from her child. Jill and Rachel had been pretty close, but once Rachel abandoned Gus and Zach, she was dead to Jill and to the whole Rance family. They had just been relieved that the divorce went smoothly and that Rachel willingly gave up custody.

“I mean, there’s no way she has a case,” Jill assured him. “She gave up her parental rights. What did Frankie say?”

“I haven’t told him,” Zach confessed, “I… I don’t know; it’s almost embarrassing. I mean I married this woman! It’s so insulting to him, I just don’t want him to be made to feel lesser somehow.”

“Oh honey, I’m sure Frankie would be nothing but supportive. He loves you and he’s so strong and comfortable in his own skin. You know all that ‘shine brighter’ stuff.”

Zach chuckled, “I know Mom. But I want to see if I can handle this without involving him. I mean I’ll tell him eventually I guess, but I’m hoping I can find an attorney to contact Rachel and convince her this will never happen. I’m calling AJ at 11:30 and I’m sure he’ll know someone who can help me.”

“Okay, well please call me later and tell me what happens and what AJ has to say. Zach, you’re an amazing father and trust me, no one is going to take Gus away from you. It’s just not going to happen. It’ll be okay.”

“Thanks Mom. I love you. I’ll call you after work.”

Zach busied himself with some paperwork for another 10 minutes before he could finally call AJ.

“Hey buddy,” AJ said, answering on the first ring. “What’s up?”

“Well,” Zach replied, “as I was walking into the office today, I got served.  You won’t believe this but Rachel is suing me for custody of Gus.”

His voice cracked as a sob escaped his throat.

“WHAT?” AJ replied indignantly. “On what grounds? She’s crazy. I can’t believe this. I’m so sorry, Zach.”

AJ and Zach had remained close friends through the years. When Rachel left, AJ was a constant source of support. He had moved back to Florida to join a law firm and he was a regular visitor to their home during that first year. He never came empty handed, giving Gus way too many gifts, becoming a beloved “uncle” as far as Gus was concerned. Like everyone else in Zach’s life, AJ was furious at Rachel for abandoning Gus.  He had been very worried about how Zach would handle the situation, but he was completely blown away at what a fantastic dad Zach had become. Probably as a result of being so much older than Peyton, Zach had a good sense of balancing fun and discipline with a young child. Gus was sweet and polite and knew his limits. It was clear to everyone that Zach’s world revolved around Gus and he was a very beloved child to all of Zach’s family and friends.

Zach continued, “She is claiming that Gus is being raised in an immoral environment. Can you believe that shit? Clearly she saw all the Zankie publicity and decided that her son WHO SHE ABANDONED must be rescued. I swear, there’s a special place in hell for people like her.”

“What did Frankie say?” AJ asked.

“Why does everyone ask me that? I haven’t told Frankie. I don’t want to tell him until after it’s over. It’s insulting to him and he doesn’t need to know. I will ruin that bitch and enjoy every minute.”

AJ bit his tongue. He had always liked Frankie. Because of his friendship with Lauren, he knew Frankie outside of “Zankie” and had a casual friendship with him when they were both living in New York. He knew Frankie was immune to being affected by idiocy such as this, but AJ had to respect Zach’s wishes.

“Well, you know that I don’t practice family law, but one of my partners, Brian Goldman, does.  I’ll see if we can arrange a phone call later today with the three of us. He should be able to give you some good advice.”

AJ promised to text Zach as soon as he could reach Brian, saying that he hoped they could have a call around 2 or 3:00.

Zach hung up the phone.  He sat motionless at his desk, absorbing all that had happened that day. How could he go from his life being so perfect to an unbelievable shit storm like this?  He remembered so clearly the shocking day he had returned to his home and discovered Rachel had left. He was scared, furious and overwhelmed all at once.  How was he going to balance a career with raising a child all by himself? It seemed so daunting at the time. But he had dug deep, using some of the principals of The Secret to envision the life he wanted and to make it a reality. His mother had been a godsend, and his friends and colleagues had rallied around him. As heartbreaking as it seemed for Gus to not have a mother in his life, the fact was that he was an incredibly well adjusted child who knew that he was loved deeply by many. Zach was proud of the father he had become and endlessly grateful to have Gus as his son. There was no way, no how, that any two-faced bitch was going to turn his life upside down.

 

After grabbing a quick lunch, Zach came back to his office and shut the door, ready for the scheduled Skype call at 2:30.

AJ made the introduction between Zach and Brian. Brian looked to be about the same age as AJ. He had a kind face and warm eyes. As he began to talk, Zach could sense that he was smart, savvy and driven. AJ had never steered him wrong and Zach believed that Brian would provide great representation.

“Before we get into the meat of our discussion,” AJ said, “Brian and I want to let you know that we will charge you a ‘friends and family’ rate. We spoke to the other partners in the firm. You are a close friend and I don’t want you to rack up insane legal bills.”

Zach was touched. He had money saved but he knew that this type of case could cost a fortune. 

“You really didn’t have to do that, AJ, but I appreciate it. Maybe I can talk to the radio station about getting your firm some advertising at low rates or something.”

AJ laughed, “Don’t worry about it. You can take me and Brian out for a big fancy steak dinner when this is all over.”

“Count on it,” Zach said.

Zach gave Brian a quick overview of the situation. He explained how Rachel had abandoned them and had signed away her parental rights.  He said that she had never made any attempt to contact him or to see Gus since leaving that day. Zach didn’t remember Rachel being homophobic or speaking out against same sex relationships, so this whole thing was completely out of left field.

Brian replied, “Well, under normal circumstances, the fact that she gave up her parental rights would make this a open and shut case. However this is Florida. And even in the family law courts, there are a few judges who are very conservative and might make things messy. They could see the publicity possibilities in a case involving a relatively high profile gay couple and might want to make a statement by allowing Rachel to have at least partial custody.  There’s often a bias in family law court about a mother/child bond.  I saw in the papers that you forwarded to me that she is remarried and has an infant girl.  She’s implied that they would be willing to move to Florida to be closer to you. I have no doubt that her attorney will try to portray her family as somehow a healthier or more normal environment for a child to grow up in.”

Zach was disgusted. The idea that a home with a mother and father was better than a home with two fathers or two mothers or even a single parent was ridiculous. As long as a child was safe, nurtured, and loved, no one could argue that one set of family dynamics was better than another. Zach knew plenty of people raised by heterosexual couples who were totally fucked up.

Brian paused then added, “I know this sounds crass, but how would you feel about trying to offer her some money to make it go away?”

“NO,” Zach replied adamantly.  That bitch doesn’t deserve one cent. If all she wants is money, then that’s even more disgusting. She can kick rocks as far as I’m concerned.”

Zach could see Brian and AJ glance at each other. He knew they probably thought he was being unreasonable, but he was caught up in the principle of the matter. What she was doing was absolutely outrageous. She needed to be put in her place and run out of town.

As they ended the phone call, Brian said he would review the paperwork and get back to Zach in the next couple of days to outline their next steps.

“Zach,” he said, “take a deep breath and try not to stress out too much. We will do everything we can to get this case dismissed. I will talk to some of the other partners about our best strategy. In the meantime, give that beautiful boy a big hug and try to relax.  You’re in good hands.”

  

Zach wrapped up a few things in his office before heading home.  As he walked in the front door, he heard Gus running in from the family room.

“Daddy you're home!! Can we play basketball?”

Zach grabbed Gus, picking him up and pulling him into a tight hug, blinking back tears as Gus wrapped his little arms around Zach’s neck.  Zach kissed Gus on the neck and swung him around in a circle.

“Daddy you're squeezing me too tight!” Gus exclaimed.

 Zach laughed and said, “Well I missed you today buddy. And yes, let me change and we will go outside and play some hoops okay?”

One of Gus’ favorite gifts from “Uncle AJ” was his PlaySkool basketball hoop with the adjusting height.  Even at 3 ½ years old, Gus had a sweet shot and he loved playing Around the World with Zach. It was almost a nightly ritual now that the days were longer.

  

A few hours later after dinner and bath, Gus was tucked in bed by 8:30.  Zach knew that Frankie was teaching class until 9pm so he didn’t expect to talk to him. In fact he decided he would rather not talk to him because how could he act normal as his world was falling apart? He pulled out his phone to send a text.

_“Hey babe. I had a long day. Gonna take a shower and go to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay? I hope you had a great day and I love you.”_

Zach took a hot shower, trying not to let fear take over as he envisioned what could happen if Rachel got her way with some wacko judge.  He couldn’t believe that anyone could look at this situation and even allow Rachel a day in court, but the way Brian had described some of these family law judges made him nervous. Ever since hanging chads in the Gore-Bush Presidential election, Florida had a reputation for craziness and unpredictability.

Zach took an over the counter sleeping pill and climbed into bed.  Tiger jumped up next to him and cuddled right into Zach’s side. As always, Tiger had a sense of when he needed him most. This dog had been through a hell of a lot with Zach over the past six or seven years and was still the most loyal, beautiful puppy ever. Zach thought it would be hard to fall asleep but he was so exhausted from the emotional day that he was asleep within moments of turning off his light.

Zach was jolted awake by his phone vibrating next to him on his bedside table. Groggy and confused, Zach looked at the clock. It was 12:17 am. Who the hell was calling after midnight?

When he saw Frankie’s face on his phone, he answered frantically, “Frankie, are you okay?”

“NO, I’m not okay Zach. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Rachel!” Frankie was furious.

Zach was still half asleep and completely bewildered.

“What? What do you mean? How did you hear about it anyway? I didn’t want to involve you Frankie. This is my problem and I’ll work it out!” Zach spit out defensively.

“Lauren told me,” Frankie said. “She spoke to AJ earlier. He confided in her and made her promise not to tell me. But she was so disturbed by what she heard that she broke her promise to AJ. And I’m glad she did. You need me Zach. This is exactly the type of thing that you need to let me in on.”

“I don’t need you!!” Zach yelled.  He was so angry with AJ. How dare he tell Lauren? Of course she would tell Frankie! What was he thinking?

Quieting down so as not to wake Gus, he continued, “Frankie, I’m a big boy. I can handle this. I handled shit for five years without you. I don’t need Frankie Grande to come in and clean up my mess anymore like we’re still in the Big Brother house or something.”

Zach didn’t know why he was being so mean and defensive. He was embarrassed mostly. He had married this woman for God sake. And now she was making a mockery of his lifestyle and his parenting ability. And by doing so, she was insulting Frankie. Zach wanted to make her pay and he wanted to do it alone.

Frankie calmly said, “Zach, she wants money. Trust me. I’ve been a Grande for too long. I can smell a rat from a mile away, and this is a big fat Arizona rat.”

Zach protested, “No I really don’t think so. She wants Gus. She really believes he would be better off in a quote-unquote normal family. I can’t believe any judge would even hear her case, but AJ’s partner Brian says there are some judges in Florida who might want to make a statement by taking this case and bringing publicity to the issue of same sex couples raising children together. It’s disgusting. I want Brian to dig up any shit he can about her and defame her character till she crawls away in embarrassment. I will drag her till her knees bleed!”

“Zach, I know how you feel, believe me. You want to make her pay because she is all kinds of wrong and all kinds of awful. But there’s no need for you to get down in the gutter with her. I’m telling you, we can offer her money and make it go away. You know my motto, ‘when someone throws shade, shine brighter.’ This is a perfect example of this. She wants money, I just know it. We’ll give her some money and shut her the fuck up. And then go on with our lives.”

Zach was silent for a moment, digesting what Frankie said. Yes his gut reaction was to fight back and make her pay. But truthfully what was that going to do but create more havoc and perhaps give her the publicity she was seeking. On the other hand, how was he going to pay her off?

“Well,” Zach said quietly, “I hear what you’re saying, but honestly I don’t know if I have enough money to make her go away. I mean I make a nice living and I save money but some of it is invested and I just don’t have buckets of cash to pay out.”

“Let me help you, Zach,” Frankie said, “Let –“ 

“NO ABSOLUTELY NOT,” Zach said forcefully, “you are not going to pay off my ex-wife. That’s… I don’t know, humiliating.”

“Oh come on Zach, let’s be real. I mean like it or not, my family has a lot of money.  It sounds really awful, but I would bet my left nut that she will take the money and run.  She knew when she saw the story that she could make some quick cash. You are a local celebrity. I’m the brother of Ariana Grande. She knows we have money and that’s what she’s after. She doesn’t give a fuck about Gus, as sad as it sounds. I want to help. We can talk to your attorney about a reasonable amount and I can get it together in short order.”

“NO. I can’t take the money from you Frankie. It just feels wrong. I can’t.”

Frankie paused, “Okay, how about this? I will lend you the money. We will draw up loan paperwork and you can pay me back in monthly installments.  I mean I would be happy to take my payments in sexual favors but if you insist on paying with cash, then I guess we’ll go with that.”

Zach smiled and thought about it for a moment. 

“Okay I guess let’s talk to Brian tomorrow. I can’t believe she will really just take the money and run. But maybe you’re right. Maybe that’s all she’s after. Wow, if that’s true, she really is a horrible person. I promise you Frankie, I’m going to put up whatever amount of money I can, and I will pay you back every penny that you lend me. With interest. I insist.”

Frankie rolled his eyes to himself. He knew that in the very near future he and Zach would likely live together. And not too long after that they would get married.  He fully believed in the “what’s yours is mine” theory of love and marriage, and soon enough if he had his way, the loan payments could be forgiven. But he had to admit that he admired Zach’s pride and desire to take care of the problem himself.

“Okay my love,” Frankie said, “we’ll talk tomorrow. Please don’t be angry with AJ by the way. He was really troubled by the situation and you know how close he and Lauren are. Lauren has been around the Grande family long enough to recognize an opportunist when she sees one, and that’s why she wanted me to know.”

“Okay,” Zach agreed, “I won’t chew AJ’s head off when I talk to him in the morning. Thanks Frankie. You know, I really didn’t want to tell you because this whole situation is embarrassing and I wanted to make it go away without involving you. But now that you know, I feel so much… I don’t know – stronger maybe? Like it really will be okay.” 

“That’s because we’re a team, Zach. Team Zankie, remember? And whatever challenges we have to deal with, it will be much easier if we do it together. This may be our first crisis since reconciling, but I’m sure it won’t be our last. So let’s promise not to try to go it alone when an obstacle presents itself, okay?”

“You’re right babe. Thanks." He paused, then added, "I am so lucky to have you by my side. I love you so much that I feel like I’m gonna explode into a bazillion glittery hearts!”

Frankie laughed, “Yay glitter!!! I love you too Zach. Sleep well, sweet dreams and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  

Within two weeks, the whole matter had been settled. Zach had to admit that Frankie was right. They settled on $150,000, which was a shitload of money as far as Zach was concerned. Rachel took the bait of the cash offer like two bit whore desperate for rent money and at the end of a slow night.  Zach was able to put up $42,000 from his savings and investment accounts, and Frankie lent him the rest with formal loan documentation as Zach insisted. Brian drew up paperwork that prohibited Rachel from talking about the settlement with anyone. It also reiterated the termination of any and all parental rights.  If Rachel violated any part of the agreement, she would be fined the amount of the settlement plus interest and attorney fees. 

Zach was not surprised but still pretty disgusted that Rachel so quickly and eagerly accepted the offer. At a weak moment, he had thought about offering to allow Rachel to meet Gus, thinking that maybe he had a right to know his mother. But when her greed became evident, he dismissed any notion of allowing visitation or even a casual meeting. She was an unhappy selfish opportunist and he wanted no part of her in their lives.

  

“Frankie, you look gorgeous, let’s go,” Zach urged.

They were late for their dinner with AJ, Brian and their girlfriends.  As promised, Zach was taking them out for a fancy steak dinner to thank them for their excellent legal work.  They were dropping Gus and Rose off at Zach’s parents’ house before heading to the restaurant. And they were running late because Frankie was touching up his make up.  If anyone had told Zach a decade earlier that he'd be running late for a business dinner because his male lover was putting on make up, he would've looked at them like they had three heads.

They finally hit the road and a short time later pulled up to the Rances’ house.  The kids jumped out of the car, Rose following Gus up the walkway as Tiger bounded out behind them. Jill opened the door and gave Gus a big hug and kiss.

 “You must be Rose,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Jill.”

Rose smiled and gave Jill a big hug. She was a love-bug just like her daddy.

Jill stood up straight as Zach and Frankie walked to the front door. She gave Zach a quick hug, then reached over and pulled Frankie into her arms.

“It’s so good to see you Frankie. I can’t believe you two have been dating all this time and we haven’t even seen you yet.”

Frankie laughed, “Nice to see you too Jill. Hopefully we can all have dinner soon sometime.”

“Yes!” replied Jill enthusiastically. “We want to take you two boys out.” 

“Okay Mom,” Zach said, “ We’ll figure it out later. We really need to go or we’re going to be late.”  He handed her the kids’ bags. They would be spending the night.

Jill said, “Okay go ahead. We’ll see you in the morning for breakfast, okay? Frankie, I just want to say… thank you so much for helping Zach out with the Rachel situation.  It was a terrifying thing for all of us to be facing and your support in every way made Zach that much stronger. You are a real mensch.”

Frankie shrugged and gave Jill a kiss on the cheek. “You know I would do anything for Zach. He is the love of my life.”

Jill smiled. As a mom, there was nothing more rewarding than knowing your child is happy and fulfilled. Seeing Zach with Frankie gave her the sense that no matter what, Zach was going to be just fine.

 

The dinner was a great success.  The plates had been cleared away and the six of them were enjoying coffee and sharing a couple desserts.  They were taking turns telling dirty jokes and laughing hysterically.  Zach had consumed a few drinks since Frankie agreed to be the designated driver. As he was listening to AJ’s joke, he felt Frankie’s hand snake onto his thigh, rubbing up and down. He shot a glance in Frankie’s direction, but Frankie was looking at AJ, completely absorbed in his story. No one would have any idea what was occurring under the table.

Frankie’s hand snuck up Zach’s leg. Zach spread his legs up a bit, allowing Frankie to cup his groin and rub him seductively over his slacks.  Zach’s cock immediately sprung to attention as he fought to focus on AJ’s story. Frankie’s hand was moving slowly, teasing Zach with promises of what was to come.  His fingers scratched against Zach’s balls and reached underneath, even managing to tease his rim through his pants.

As the check came and Zach reached out to grab it, Frankie pulled his hand away and continued to socialize with everyone as if he hadn’t just almost made Zach come at the table.  Thankfully by the time the bill was paid and they stood up to walk to the door, Zach’s cock had settled to half-mast and wasn't noticeable through his pants.

They said their goodbyes and went to their cars. As Frankie started the ignition, Zach smirked at him.

“Were you trying to make me come at the table or something, babe? Fuck, that was hot. I’m so horny.” 

Frankie smiled at him, “You know I can’t resist you babe. And I love teasing you and watching you struggle to maintain your composure. Restaurants tables are second only to elevators in my public kink fantasies.”

By this time they were on the highway. Zach looked seductively at Frankie and said, “Well two can play that game.”

He undid his seatbelt and turned toward Frankie.

“Keep your eyes on the road, babe,” he said as he undid Frankie’s belt and unzipped his pants. Frankie sucked in his breath as Zach reached into his pants and underwear and cupped his dick in his hand, running his hand up and down his shaft.

 

“Lift your ass up,” Zach instructed. As Frankie did so, Zach pulled his pants and underwear down past his knees, leaving him completely exposed.  It took all of Frankie’s skill to continue driving safely. All he needed was to get pulled over!

Zach bent over the gear shaft and took Frankie in his mouth, moving up and down Frankie’s dick cupping his balls.  Frankie kept one hand on the steering wheel and tangled the other hand in Zach’s unruly hair pushing him down even harder onto his cock as he absorbed all the sensations going through him.

But then suddenly Zach stopped. When Frankie moaned in complaint, Zach explained, “When we get home, I want you to fuck me. Hard.”

Frankie drove as quickly as he could without risking a speeding ticket. They pulled into Zach’s driveway. Frankie quickly pulled up his pants and got out of the car following Zach to the front door.

As soon as they were inside, Frankie pushed Zach against the wall and kissed him forcefully, pushing his groin against Zach’s as they both moaned with desire.  Frankie reached down and cupped Zach’s dick with one hand and pulled his ass closer with the other. After a couple moments Zach pulled away and took Frankie’s hand in his as they practically ran up the stairs to his room. Frankie pushed Zach down on the bed and stripped off his clothes, taking a moment to admire his perfect body. He stripped down himself then told Zach to turn over onto his stomach. It was one of those nights where Frankie knew that Zach wanted to be fucked hard and fast into the mattress.

Zach buried his head into his pillows, practically shaking with desire as he heard Frankie open the drawer to retrieve the lube and condoms.  Frankie pulled Zach’s legs apart and lifted his hips a little then teased his index finger around his rim. Zach flinched from the cold of the lube but soon groaned with desire as Frankie’s finger teased him relentlessly.  By the time Frankie pushed the finger into Zach’s hole, Zach was already pushing back against it, craving more.  Within a few minutes, he had put two and then three fingers in, curving them to tease Zach’s prostate.  Zach was grabbing at the pillows and the sheets, fucking his ass back against Frankie’s hand pleading to be fucked.

Seeing Zach like this, vulnerable and needy, completely at his mercy, made Frankie feel powerful and protective.  As strong and calm as he had been throughout the ordeal with Rachel, internally Frankie had been scared to death. He knew if they made a wrong move and somehow Rachel refused their cash offer and/or made a public spectacle of their relationship, it could be devastating. His gut instinct had been that Rachel was after money and he was relieved that he was right. As disgusting as it was, it was just money. He would’ve given up his whole fortune to remove that bitch from the picture. At the end of the day, as long as he and Zach had each other and their little family, they would be fine.

As he rolled the condom on and then pushed into Zach, he felt a mixture of passion and love so deep it brought tears to his eyes. He bent his head down toward Zach’s ear as he fucked him hard and fast.

“I love you Zach. You are the sexiest most beautiful man I have ever known.”

With that, he took Zach’s ear in his mouth and bit down gently, grinding his teeth on his ear lobe while he reached his hand around and grabbed Zach’s cock, stroking him until he came loudly into the mattress. A moment later, Frankie thrust hard, grunting loudly as he filled the condom, then collapsed on top of Zach trying to catch his breath.

They lay there silently for a few minutes, just the sound of their panting filling the room.  Frankie pulled out of Zach and disposed of the condom, then lay next to him and pulled him into a full body embrace, kissing him gently and slowly.

Finally Zach pulled away and said, “Promise me that no matter how old we get, how busy we get, how irritable we get – whatever – that we _never_ stop doing this.

Frankie laughed, “I promise Zach, I will fuck you as often as you want as long as you want till death do us part.”

“Are you proposing to me?” Zach asked teasingly, “Cuz those would be some damn romantic wedding vows.”

“Maybe someday,” Frankie teased, kissing Zach, “Maybe someday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this story is wrapping up. Next chapter will be a fast forward epilogue. I hope you're all still enjoying. Let me know what you think!


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love me like you do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and kind comments about this story. I've really enjoyed writing it. It took me awhile to get to the final chapter because, frankly, my Zankie feels have been all over the place recently. I just like to think that - as in this story - maybe the right time for Zankie will be in sometime the future if it can't be now.

“C’mon everyone, we’re gonna be late, let’s move it!”

As usual, Zach was the only one ready on time. Ari’s Miami concert was starting in three hours and they needed to get the show on the road. Frankie had convinced Zach to take Rose and Gus to the concert even though they were only 6 years old.  Zach thought it was a little ridiculous but Frankie said they were certainly not too young for their first concert especially if it was Ari’s. And Ari couldn’t wait to see them. She had been touring for several months and had been stuck in LA before that getting ready for the tour. So it had been awhile.

Zach and Frankie’s relationship was still going strong. After dating for a year, Frankie finally convinced Zach that they should move in together. Rather than choose whose house to move into, they both sold their homes and bought a new house together. It was a beautiful home with six bedrooms, a pool, a screening room, and a “man cave.” Zach couldn’t believe that he was living in such an opulent home but Frankie convinced him that they could afford it and it would be a great place for the kids to grow up. The local schools were excellent and there were lots of families with young children in the neighborhood.

Frankie had begged Nonna to continue living with them but she was ready to move into a retirement community. She loved her grandkids and great grandkids but she was ready to have her own space in a quiet adult community. Frankie and Zach insisted she come for brunch or dinner every Sunday night and Frankie tried to visit her at least one other time during the week.

Gus and Rose had started kindergarten that fall. Frankie and Zach decided it would be better to have them in different classes even though they weren’t technically siblings. They were both thriving in school and loving both the academic and social aspects. Even though they were both making lots of friends, they still gravitated toward each other at recess and were as close as ever.  Of course they bickered sometimes at home but mostly they were each other’s best friend and biggest supporter.

Frankie’s dance school continued to grow. He brought in several new teachers and expanded the types of classes offered, adding tap and hip hop classes to the schedule. Frankie loved having the school and teaching classes but sometimes he really missed performing. Zach encouraged him to take opportunities as they presented themselves. He had done some local theater and occasionally flew to LA or New York to host a red carpet, attend an awards show, or appear on a talk show.  He was hoping to get a role in a Broadway show during the summer so that the family could move up there temporarily while the kids were out of school. With his vast syndication, Zach would be able to do his show from New York while they lived up there

Zach’s radio show was expanding throughout the country. He was now broadcast in 42 of the 50 states and continuing to grow. Zach was a full on celebrity in his own right and had made appearances on many late night talk shows. He went with Frankie to some of the Hollywood and New York events as often as he could but they tried not to both be gone from the kids whenever possible.

Basically Zankie had become a power couple in its own right.  They often appeared in magazines, online celebrity gossip sites, and entertainment news shows. Frankie loved all of it. His adoration of the spotlight had never faded. He was happier than he’d ever been in his life and he wanted to share his joy with the world.  He was truly shining bright like a Frankie. Zach took all the celebrity in stride. He realized early on after Big Brother that his greatest strengths in terms of entertainment were being in a host role and conducting interviews. He was friendly and funny; he could make any guest feel comfortable and he always made the interviews lively.

All in all, Zach and Frankie had a pretty ideal life.

 

Finally they were all buckled in the car, only about 10 minutes past their original departure goal. 

Not bad, Zach thought.  He had actually started telling Frankie that they had to be places 30 minutes before they actually did just to be sure to be relatively on time.

They arrived in Miami in time to spend close to an hour back stage with Ari and the crew.  Gus and Rose were absolutely enchanted by the whole experience. Ari took both of their hands and walked them around, introducing them to the crew and other performers, and explaining how everything worked.  While Ari’s hair and make up people fretted that they wouldn’t have enough time to get her show-ready, Ari ignored them and patiently answered all of Gus and Rose’s questions.  Finally Frankie took pity on the crew waiting to tend to Ari and insisted on taking the kids out to their seat

“Ari, go get ready. We’re going to our seats and getting a bunch of unhealthy food to eat before the show starts!”

As they walked toward their seats, Zach was surprised to see some familiar faces.  Joan and Nonna were there, but so were Jill, Kevin and Peyton.

“What’s my family doing here?”

“Surprise!” Frankie exclaimed with a gleeful glint in his eye. “I knew you wouldn’t think to invite them but I DID!! You think your mom doesn’t like Ari’s music, but she’s actually a closeted fan.”

“Another Rance in the closet,” Zach joked wryly, “Whodda thunk it?”

Zach was surprised to see his family but then again not really. You never knew what you were going to get with Frankie. He loved surprises and the unexpected.  They walked to their seats and greeted everyone.

“Grandma and Grandpa!” Gus squealed, giving each of them a big hug.  He then turned to Peyton and they did their super duper very complicated uncle-nephew handshake that lasted about 45 seconds and ended with a fist bump and big hug.

Rose took a seat right on Joan’s lap while Frankie and Zach went to the concession stand to load up on greasy and sugary food. By the time they got back, the opening act had begun.

Rose and Gus were absolutely transfixed by the lights and music.  They had seen videos of Ari’s concerts as well as other musical acts, but being there in person was a completely different experience. During the short break before Ari came out on stage, Jill and Peyton took the kids to the restroom while Zach and Frankie visited with everyone else.  Zach was amused at how sparkly and bouncy Frankie was.  He was filled with so much energy and joy that Zach thought he might actually levitate.

A few minutes after the gang returned from the restroom, the lights in the arena dimmed and the audience rose to its feet cheering at a deafening level.  Rose and Gus were beside themselves with anticipation.  The music began and the stage lit up to Ari sashaying out, belting out “Problem,” still one of her most popular songs.

Of course Gus and Rose knew all the words and sang along jumping up and down and cheering with all their might. Zach loved seeing Ari perform. He and Frankie had gone to many of her concerts.  She just kept getting better. Her vocal talent had been compared to Mariah Carey in the early days of Ari’s career, but in Zach’s opinion she far surpassed Mariah. The concert was wonderful, with many fast upbeat numbers as well as slow ballads. The production value was top rate with amazing effects and incredible music and dancing.

About 45 minutes into the concert, Ari spoke to the audience, greeting everyone and saying how it was great to be in Miami, close to where she’d grown up. 

“In fact,” she continued, “I have some very special guests here tonight: my wonderful family Nonna, Mommy, Frankie and my niece Rose. And also Frankie’s boyfriend Zach Rance and his son Gus as well as his parents Jill and Kevin and brother Peyton.”

The lights shone on their small group and Frankie pointed to the large screens to show Gus and Rose they were being featured. They jumped up and down waving at the screen.

As the applause died down, Ari said, “Rose, can you bring your daddy up on stage to join me?”

As Rose took Frankie’s hand to walk on stage, he glanced back at Zach and shrugged his shoulders to indicate he had no idea what was going on.  Zach figured Ari probably was going to have Frankie and Rose dance with her during one of her numbers.

Rose ran onto the stage and gave Ari a big hug. Frankie followed suit.

“So Frankie, how are you tonight? Ari smirked at him.

“I’m shining bright!” he said enthusiastically to loud applause.

“Is there anything you’d like to say to this crowd? Or to anyone in particular?

“Well yes, Ari,” Frankie replied brightly, “there actually IS something I’d like to say.”

He turned back toward the VIP section and said, “Gus, can you bring your daddy up on stage please.”

Gus jumped out of his seat, clearly thrilled that he too would get to be on stage in front of thousands of people. Zach, on the other hand, was stunned into immobility. He was looking at Frankie thinking, “No this can’t actually be happening.”

Frankie looked straight in his eyes, winked and gave him a little nod.

“C’mon Daddy! Get up.” Gus tugged on Zach’s hand. “We have to go on stage!!”

Zach stood up numbly and let Gus lead him onto the stage to thunderous applause.  The audience started chanting but it took a moment for Zach to realize what they were saying. “ZANKIE ZANKIE ZANKIE ZANKIE!!!”

Frankie pulled Zach into a tight hug, whispering, “Relax my love; trust me.” 

Ari took Gus and Rose’s hands and pulled them off to the side a bit, leaving Frankie and Zach in the middle of the stage with a single spot light focused on them. A murmur went through the audience as it began to dawn on people what was happening.  Then the cheering began again.

Frankie signaled to the audience to quiet down, then took Zach’s hand as he began to speak into the microphone.

“Well Zach, you know what I always say: Go Grande or Go Home.  This may be one of my grande-est acts ever.”

“You and I have been on an amazing journey since we met back in Big Brother 16.  I was the flamboyant, obnoxious gay boy and you were the straight asshole frat boy. On the first day you insulted me by mocking my school and I almost put you up for eviction that very first week! But a funny thing happened that summer. Without the real world interfering or labeling us, we fell in love. We didn’t really define it as such. You were still straight and I wasn’t going to get involved with another straight boy.  However the feelings were there and by the time we left the house, we knew it was something special.”

“But then the real world DID interfere and we couldn’t figure out how to find a way forward. There was pressure from fans and questioning by friends and family. It was confusing and scary for you and frustrating and agonizing for me. We had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows before we finally went our separate ways.”

“But when we ran into each other again in, of all places, a Daddy & Me class, five years later, we DID find that way forward. I believe with all of my being that there was a higher power involved. Because c’mon, what are the chances?  I will be forever grateful that we had a second chance because you, Zachary Colin Rance, are the love of my life.”

Zach's fought to hold back tears as Frankie continued.

“I love you with every fiber of my being. I love the way you sleep with your hair flopped over your face. I love how you rile the kids up just as I get them settled down for bedtime. I love when I make you laugh because your giggle is my favorite sound on earth. I love the way you love your parents and brother so fiercely. I love the silly voice you use when you talk to Tiger and how he basically ignores you anyway. I love when you go into Zach Attack mode and make a scene. I love when you scratch my back until I fall asleep. I love when you call me the smartest funniest person you know, because I actually think you’re way smarter and funnier. I love the way you look at me when we’re in a big group and make me feel like I’m the only person you see. I love the way you love me because it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. And I love loving you.”

Frankie reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black box.

“Zach I think I knew within a week of meeting you that you’d be in my life forever. Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”

By this time the tears that had pooled in Zach’s eyes had spilled over. He couldn’t speak so just nodded his head as Frankie slid onto his finger a beautiful platinum ring lined with small diamonds.

Frankie had tears in his eyes too and his placed his hands on Zach’s cheeks and pulled him into a sweet passionate kiss.

As the kiss ended, Zach leaned his forehead into Frankie’s, softly saying, “You are insane Frankie, how did you pull this off? I love you so much. And I can’t _wait_ to be your husband.”

The arena erupted in cheers, jolting Zach into the reality that he had just been proposed to in front of tens of thousands of people.  He looked out into the audience, pumped his fist in the air and yelled out, "Zankie for life, baby!"

He glanced over at Ari who was wiping tears from her face as Rose and Gus hugged each other.  A quick glance into the VIP section confirmed that there was not a dry eye there, nor probably in the entire arena.

Ari walked back toward them with the kids. She gave both of them a big hug and then Gus and Rose joined in for a group hug.  

Ari took the microphone from Frankie and said, “In celebration of this amazing night, I’m going to sing a cover of a song that is very special to Frankie and Zach.  Because love is love, and I couldn’t be happier to live in a country where the Supreme Court finally declared that everyone is entitled to marry the person they love regardless of gender.  I dedicate to my brother and my future brother-in-law “Love Me Like You Do,” the 2015 hit by Ellie Goulding.”

As Zach and Frankie led the kids back to their seats, Ari began.

_You’re the light, you’re the night_

_You’re the color of my blood_

_You’re the cure, you’re the pain_

_You’re the only thing I wanna touch_

_Never knew that it could mean so much, so much…_

Frankie stood in front of Zach as Zach wrapped his arms around his waist.  They swayed to the song belting out the lyrics along with Ari.  Frankie smiled to himself.  What Zach lacked in singing talent he certainly made up with enthusiasm.

_So love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do_

_Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do_

_Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do_

_What are you waiting for?_

Zach kissed Frankie’s neck and held him tighter. Frankie turned around and joined their lips in a passionate kiss.  The camera was focused on them just at that moment and the crowd roared its approval again as Ari continued.

_Fading in, fading out_

_On the edge of paradise_

_Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I’ve got to find_

_Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire_

_Yeah, I’ll let you set the pace_

_Cause I’m not thinking straight_

_My heading spinning around I can’t see clear no more_

_What are you waiting for?_

_Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do (like you do)_

_Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do_

_Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do_

_What are you waiting for?_

When the song ended Frankie blew a kiss to Ari and she continued on with the show.  With the cameras finally focused back on stage, Zach and Frankie had a chance to hug their family members.

Jill pulled Zach into a tight hug. Zach said, “Now it makes sense why you’re here! Did you know what was happening?’

“Well,” Jill replied, “Frankie just said we had to come to the show and that he had a surprise for you. We had a pretty good guess what that would be.  Zach, there’s absolutely nothing that makes me happier than seeing my kids happy. Frankie makes you happy. The two of you are magic together and I know that you will have an amazing life as a married couple. I love you so much.”

Peyton and Kevin both enthusiastically hugged Zach and told him how happy they were for him.

Zach then turned to Joan who gave him a big kiss on the cheek,

“Zach,” she said, “I knew from the first moment I saw you and Frankie bonding on Big Brother that you two were something special. I know what a struggle you had but it’s usually the struggles we go through in life that lead us to our greatest rewards. Thank you for making Frankie so happy. I’m so glad you’ll be part of our family.”

Nonna protested, “Enough Joan, my turn!” She pulled Zach into a big hug.

“Zachary, you are such a special man. I feel very lucky to have basically watched you and Frankie fall in love for a second time. When you drove away from our house on that very first day after your Daddy & Me class, I just knew that the two of you would end up together again. And I couldn’t be happier!”

 

After the show ended, Frankie led the family members back stage.  Ari and all the dancers were waiting for them in a room that had been decorated with balloons and a big “Congratulations” banner.  There was champagne, apple cider for the kids, and a big cake.

As glasses of champagne were passed around, Kevin clinked on his glass and asked for everyone’s attention.

“On behalf of Jill, Peyton and myself, I want to thank the Grandes for being such gracious hosts and having us at this concert. It’s an evening we won’t soon forget. Ari, you are an amazing talent.  Sign me up as the newest Arianator! And thank you for taking time in your show to give Frankie and Zach such an special, unforgettable moment.

And to my son Zach and his love Frankie – we are so happy for you both.  Jill and I met and were engaged within weeks. It took you two a little longer to find your way, but your journey has made you stronger. You have a beautiful family and will undoubtedly have an amazing life together. We love you both very much. Mazel tov! And L’Chaim!”

“L’Chaim,” everyone repeated as they all clinked glasses and drank their champagne.

Zach noticed that on the table behind the cake was a large framed print of the infamous photo Ari had taken on finale night, tweeting that it was her proudest accomplishment.  In the picture, Frankie and Zach were locked in a tight embrace and absolutely beaming at the camera.  Looking at that photo again, Zach had to admit that anyone who saw it would assume they were soul mates. Which apparently they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the epilogue! Let me know what you thought!!

**Author's Note:**

> Coming next... how do Zach and Frankie react to seeing each other again? Will their passion reignite or will it be more of the same angst and drama?
> 
> Let me know what you thought of the first chapter!!


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